The Pitcher and the Dictator: Satchel Paige’s Unlikely Season in the Dominican Republic by Averell “Ace” Smith (review)

Averill “Ace” Smith crafts a fast-paced, action-packed narrative of the 1937 Dominican Baseball League championship season that is one of the most fascinating events in global baseball history. The book’s title is misleading, since the work is more about the frenzied, tournament-like atmosphere of the season than Satchel Paige and Rafael Trujillo. Although a relatively short season, it played out as an unrelenting cascade of interconnected events linking the action on the field to each of the three ball clubs’ pursuit of some of the greatest baseball talents in the history of the game. The teams spent vast amounts of money on players, raising the expectations of their fanáticos and subjecting players who did not live up to their billing to scorn and ridicule. But the flow of money was not limited to the teams: wagering that began early in the morning and lasted throughout the day added a layer of intensity and tension in the stands and on the streets.

The season was also filled with intrigue as the games were played under the long shadow of the ruthless, megalomaniacal dictator Rafael Trujillo, who tied his presidential re-election campaign to the season by supporting the Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo, a team he was assured would be a dominant force. The team would cast a positive light on Trujillo by not merely defeating but crushing their opponents. The dictator was approached with this plan by José Enrique Aybar and his brother-in-law, Francisco Martínez Alba, and although he had little interest in baseball, he saw this as a smart political move given his nation’s passion for the game. There was one small problem: when play began, the team was not winning and lacked the talent of its two main opponents—the Águilas and the Estrellas—who stocked their teams with talented native sons as well as players from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the US Negro Leagues.

Smith details the early struggles of the Dragones and the panic that set in among the team’s organizers. Aybar began a frantic search for better players and set his sights on signing Negro League stars, in particular Leroy “Satchel” Paige. Within days, he met with Paige in New Orleans and offered him an unfathomable $30,000 to pitch for the Dragones. Paige was skeptical until the next day, when there was a $30,000 deposit in his account. Within days, he and his longtime catcher, Cy Perkins, arrived in the Dominican Republic. His arrival was hyped in the local papers, increasing both the excitement and expectations of the fans.

But Paige got off to a poor start, and news articles, most likely ghostwritten by an angry Aybar, described him as overrated and a disappointment. Paige and Perkins were blissfully unaware of the negative sentiment among the fanáticos as they spent most of their time frequenting bars and brothels. As the team continued to play sluggishly, Aybar seethed and set out to sign other Negro League stars, securing Negro League greats Cool Papa Bell, Leroy Matlock, and, most importantly, Josh Gibson. The Estrellas and the Águilas were not to be outdone and sent off scouts to import more Negro League talent. The loss of its star players would have devastating effects on the Negro League, and in response the owners instituted permanent bans on any player who left for the Caribbean. Gus Greeley, a gambling kingpin and owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, led the charge, but his threats only served to make the players more aware of the opportunities for better paydays in the Dominican Republic. Greeley’s plan backfired, and within weeks Negro League rosters were devoid of their most celebrated talent.

Meanwhile, with new players on the roster, Aybar formed a committee of discipline and organization to ensure the Dragones would play...