Josh and Satch spans the Americas from the United States to Argentina, following the exploits of two itinerant baseball players as they switch from one professional league to another in order to play baseball all year and to earn livings for themselves and their families. Satchel Paige wandered more than Josh Gibson did, pursuing places where money was most plentiful.

Sometimes he devoted himself to playing for a Negro league team; sometimes he played in Latin America; much of the time he toured the western United States, barnstorming with other African- American players in countless games against local semiprofessional teams. Paige early in his career became a big-name draw for fans, and he often received a percentage of gate receipts just for showing up to a game and pitching only two or three innings. He had become nationally famous by the 1930s, and Negro league teams would borrow...