STEADY ON THE MOUND, FAITHFUL IN THE WAITING

February 9, 1971 — Satchel Paige, from Mobile, Alabama, became the first Negro League player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

On this date, we remember a quiet but powerful moment in Black history, when Satchel Paige was finally recognized among baseball’s immortals. For decades he had thrown heat on dusty fields and under unfair skies, mastering his craft while the gates of opportunity stayed shut. When honor came, it arrived late by human reckoning; yet it arrived right on time by God’s. Paige’s life is one of faithfulness, not measured by how quickly applause comes, but by how steadily we keep showing up when no one is clapping.

Satchel Paige pitched with patience sharpened by suffering. He learned to trust his arm, his discipline, and his calling, even when the world refused to see him clearly. The Bible tells us that the race is not always won by the swift, nor the battle by the strong, but that time and circumstance come to all (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Paige lived that truth. He did not rush vindication; he outlasted injustice. His perseverance stands as a sermon in motion, a reminder that God often works slowly, deeply, and decisively.

There is also humility in Paige’s story. When recognition finally came, it did not rewrite the past, but it proved that equality is real and from God. In this, we see a reflection of the Gospel itself. The Lord exalts the lowly and lifts up those long overlooked. Jesus taught that those who humble themselves will be lifted up in due season (Luke 14:11). Paige’s honor did not erase the years of exclusion, but it testified that truth cannot be buried forever.

For us, this date becomes more than a marker on a calendar. It becomes an invitation. Keep throwing the pitch God has placed in your hand. Keep walking in integrity when systems are unjust and rewards delayed. The Lord sees what the world misses. He remembers what history forgets. And He is faithful to bring fruit from lives rooted in endurance and trust.

BDD