By When it comes to sports in general, it is usually a domain of the young. But it’s always good to see old players giving their best. Here are the top 6 Major League Baseball (MLB) players you need to know about.
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Satchel Paige
Date of birth: July 7, 1906
Place of birth: Mobile, Alabama
Died: June 8, 1982 (aged 75)
Position: Pitcher
Team(s): Chattanooga Black Lookouts (1926); Birmingham Black Barons (1927–1930); Baltimore Black Sox (1930); Cleveland Cubs (1931); Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932–1934, 1936); Bismarck Churchills (1935); Kansas City Monarchs (1935, 1939–1947); Trujillo All-Stars (1937); New York Black Yankees (1941); Memphis Red Sox (21943); Philadelphia Stars (1946 and 1950); Cleveland Indians (1948–1949); St. Louis Browns (1951–1953); and Kansas City Athletics (1965).
Satchel Paige was an American professional baseball pitcher who was part of Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). Paige’s career cut across five decades and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1948, he made his debut at age 42 for the Cleveland Indians; making him the oldest to have debuted in the national league or American league history to this very day. He played his final major league match when he was 59, a record that will forever remain.
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Charles O’Leary
Date of birth: October 15, 1875
Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois
Died: January 6, 1941 (aged 65)
Position: Shortstop/infielder
Team(s): Detroit Tigers (1904–1912); St. Louis Cardinals (1913); and St. Louis Browns (1934).
Charles O’Leary wasn’t recognized for his bat during his career. In fact, he was a lifetime 226 with a 3-run homer in eleven seasons. He became the oldest player in the MLB to pick up a knock and score a run.
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Jim O’Rourke
Date of birth: September 1, 1850
Place of birth: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Died: January 8, 1919 (aged 68)
Position: Outfielder
Team(s): Middletown Mansfields (1872); Boston Red Stockings / Red Caps (1873–1878); Providence Grays (1879); Boston Red Caps (1880); Buffalo Bisons (1881–1884); New York Giants (1885–1889); New York Giants (PL) (1890); New York Giants (1891–1892); Washington Senators (1893); and New York Giants (1904).
Jim O’Rourke was mainly active for all of his playing career in the 1800s. The outfielder returned to play for one last match for the New York Giants in 1904. At the age of 54, O’Rourke caught a whole game behind the crock and even landed a hit and scored a run in Giant’s 7-5 win against the Reds.
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Jack Quinn
Date of birth: July 1, 1883
Place of birth: Stefuró, Austria-Hungary
Died: April 17, 1946 (aged 62)
Position: Pitcher
Team(s): New York Highlanders (1909–1912); Boston Braves (1913); Baltimore Terrapins (1914–1915); Chicago White Sox (1918); New York Yankees (1919–1921); Boston Red Sox (1922–1925); Philadelphia Athletics (1925–1930); Brooklyn Robins / Dodgers (1931–1932); and Cincinnati Reds (1933).
Jack Quinn was a professional baseball player who played as a pitcher for 8 teams in three major leagues; the American league, Federal league, and National league. He was mainly recognized for being a part of the Philadelphia Athletics dynasty that gained three straight American League pennants from 1929 to 1931 and triumphed over the World Series in 1929 and 1930. Quinn made his last major league appliance at 50.
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Julio Franco
Date of birth: August 23, 1958 (age 64)
Place of birth: Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic
Position: Infielder / Designated hitter
Team(s): Philadelphia Phillies (1982); Cleveland Indians (1983–1988); Texas Rangers (1989–1993); Chicago White Sox (1994); Chiba Lotte Marines (1995); Cleveland Indians (1996–1997); Milwaukee Brewers (1997); Chiba Lotte Marines (1998); Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999); Samsung Lions (2000); Atlanta Braves (2001–2005); New York Mets (2006–2007); and Atlanta Braves (2007).
Julio Franco is a Dominican retired professional baseball player who played as an infielder and a designated hitter. Franco spent most of his professional career playing in the MLB. He entered the major leagues in 1982 and made his final appearance in 2007, which he was the oldest active major league player.
Franco marked his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut for the Philadelphia Phillies as a shortstop. During his lengthy career, he also played in other positions as a shortstop, first baseman, second baseman, and designated hitter. In his conclusive match, Franco was the last MLB player to have been born in the 1950s.
Do check out the Youngest MLB Players to be played in 2022.
