On June 19, 1950, baseball legends crossed paths in an unforgettable moment at Des Moines’ Pioneer Memorial Stadium. Before an exhibition game between the Kansas City Monarchs and the Chicago Giants, the legendary Satchel Paige threw batting practice to a rising star: Ernie “Mr. Cub” Banks. It was the only time these two future Hall of Famers would ever face off—one a towering figure of the Negro Leagues, the other on the cusp of Major League stardom. The occasion stands as a remarkable alignment of baseball greatness.
Paige began his career with the Mobile Tigers, but it was with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts—and later on diamonds across the country—that he built his myth. So dominant was his presence that he was known to have his infielders sit down while he struck out batters. Though long deserving, Paige had to wait for Major League Baseball’s color barrier to break. He was finally signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1948 at the age of 42, helping the team reach the World Series in his debut season. Released after the 1949 season, Paige pitched briefly for the Des Moines Black Barons before rejoining the Kansas City Monarchs in 1950.
As Paige’s storied career was winding down, a young shortstop from Texas was just beginning his rise. Ernie Banks signed with the Monarchs in 1950, and quickly impressed Major League scouts with his skill and poise. That summer, Banks stepped into the batter’s box at Pioneer Memorial Stadium (later renamed Sec Taylor Stadium) to take some cuts off the great Satchel Paige during batting practice.
Though Banks would later recall the moment in interviews, he never said how he fared against Paige’s still-formidable arm. The local papers didn’t cover the encounter either, leaving it a tantalizing, undocumented gem in baseball lore. Still, for those who witnessed it, the moment lives on as one of the greatest “you had to be there” episodes in Iowa’s—and baseball’s—history.
