Mobile Tigers facts for kids

The Mobile Tigers were a special baseball team from Mobile, Alabama. All the players on the team were African-American. This team was like a stepping stone for many talented players. It helped at least three future stars get ready for the bigger Negro leagues. The Mobile Tigers were one of several Black baseball teams in Mobile during that time.

The Mobile Tigers Baseball Team

The Mobile Tigers were a semi-professional team. This means the players sometimes got paid for playing, but it wasn't their only job. They were very good at baseball and played against other teams. The team was important because it gave Black players a chance to play baseball when they weren't allowed in the main professional leagues.

Famous Players Who Started Here

Many great baseball players got their start with the Mobile Tigers. Some of these players later became very famous in the Negro leagues.

Satchel Paige's Start

One of the most famous players to ever play for the Mobile Tigers was Satchel Paige. He is known as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history! Satchel Paige started his career with the Mobile Tigers when he was 18 years old, around 1924.

Before joining the team, Satchel Paige had been looking for a job. But he loved watching his older brother, Wilson, play for the Mobile Tigers. Satchel decided to try out for the team. The manager at the time was Candy Jim Taylor. Satchel threw ten super-fast fastballs past Taylor. Each one was a strike! After seeing his amazing pitching, the Mobile Tigers gave Satchel Paige a job.

Satchel Paige once said that the team paid him "$1 when the gate was good." If not many people came to watch, he would get "a keg of lemonade" instead!

Paige's Path to the Negro Leagues

Playing for the Mobile Tigers was a big step for Satchel Paige. A sports writer once said that his time with the Tigers was the start of "one of the most successful careers in baseball history." After playing for the Mobile Tigers for just one year, Satchel Paige moved on. He began his professional baseball career with the Chattanooga White Sox in the Negro Southern League.

Other Talented Tigers

Satchel Paige wasn't the only future star on the Mobile Tigers. Other players who later became famous in the Negro leagues also played there. These included Ted Radcliffe and his brother Forney. Bobby Robinson was another talented player who played for the Mobile Tigers at the same time as Satchel Paige. The team was truly a place where future baseball legends got their start!