Two pages do not a book make, but two "Pages" signing on one baseball certainly make a unique collectible. The Pages involved are Hall of Famer Leroy "Satchel" Paige, whose birth name was actually "Leroy Page," and Joe "Fireman" Page, the great left-handed relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. Both pitchers signed the offered Spalding Little League baseball. Leroy Paige said of his change in the spelling of his last name, "My folks later stuck in the 'i' to make themselves sound more high tone [sic]." Paige started professional baseball in 1926, and he pitched for numerous teams in the Negro Leagues, most notably the Kansas City Monarchs and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He was a superstar in the Negro Leagues, but he was kept from the Major Leagues by the pervasive "color line" in Major League baseball, not broken in modern baseball until Jackie Robinson's Major league debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Paige made his Major League debut for the 1948 Cleveland Indians, and pitching both as a starter and a reliever, he had a 6-1 record, with a 2.48 ERA. Paige pitched from 1948-49 with Cleveland, and from 1951-53 with the St. Louis Browns.

Satchel's career overlapped with that of Joe Page. Page broke into baseball with the New York Yankees in 1944 and stayed with the Bronx Bombers through 1950. Originally both a starter and sometime reliever with the Yanks, Page became a relief specialist and had a terrific season for the 1947 World Champion Yankees, having a 14-8 record, a 2.48 ERA, and 17 saves. Page got the final outs in the '47 World Series by inducing the Dodgers' Eddie Miksis to ground into a double play, and Page finished in 4th place in that season's AL MVP race. Page had another great year for the '49 Yankee World Champions, finishing in 3rd place in AL MVP voting. However, he then lost much of his effectiveness in 1950. He did not return to the Major Leagues until '54, pitching briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and being released, ending his Major League career. Long after both Joe Page and Satchel Paige seemed to have ended their Major League action, Satchel Paige made an amazing single-game appearance, at a suspected 57 years of age, for the Kansas City Athletics in a real regular season contest against the visiting Boston Red Sox. The "elderly" gentleman held the Red Sox scoreless during his three-inning stint, allowing only one hit - a double by Carl Yastrzemski.

Both signing players used blue ballpoint ink. Paige signed on a side panel as did Page, and Page added "Sincerely" as an inscription. The autos rate 7/10 overall. The offering comes with a JSA LOA, both for the signatures and for Joe Page's inscription. The dual-signed ball is in EXCELLENT condition.

Estimated domestic USA shipping cost only. Does not include handling or insurance: $27 Please feel free to contact us for a more accurate shipping cost.