Bill Perkins (baseball)

Biography

William Gamiel Perkins (June 26, 1906 – January 24, 1958) was an American professional baseball catcher and corner outfielder who played in the Negro leagues and the Mexican League from 1928 to 1948 with several teams. A native of Albany, Georgia, Perkins is best known for being "Satchel Paige's personal catcher throughout his career" and wearing a chest protector that read, "Thou shalt not steal!" While playing for the Pittsburgh Crawfords, Perkins served as Hall of Famer Josh Gibson's backup catcher; but, even as backup catcher, he was the one to whom Paige most often threw his fastballs. He played in two East-West All-Star Games, in 1934 and 1940. Perkins was one of the "jumpers" who jumped to Santo Domingo when tropical countries started summer seasons in competition with American leagues.

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