In 1948: After years of pitching in the Negro Leagues, Leroy “Satchel” Paige makes his first Major League start for the Cleveland Indians at the age of 42 (nobody was ever sure of his exact age, however). Paige pitched seven innings in a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Browns. It seemed that the legend of Paige was just as great as the pitcher himself, as Joe DiMaggio once called him “the fastest and best pitcher I‘ve ever seen,” (according to Paige’s official website). Although there were very few official records in the Negro Leagues, it was believed that Paige once threw 64 straight shutout innings (Orel Hershiser holds the ML record with 59), won 21 consecutive games (Carl Hubbell had 24) and once had a 31-4 season. Paige pitched in the majors until he was 59 years old. He helped the Indians win the World Series in 1948 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.
In 1949: The NBA as it is known today is formed in a merger between the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL). The league then had 17 teams, including the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Fort Wayne (now Detroit) Pistons, Minneapolis (Los Angeles) Lakers and Syracuse Nationals (who became the Philadelphia 76ers). The Lakers won the first championship in the new league.
