From Louisiana to California

James Everett Bonner was born on September 18, 1906 in Mansfield, Louisiana, a predominantly African American lumber town. Jimmy played baseball in junior high, and by 1932 he was a utility player for the Shreveport Black Sports baseball team while employed as a tailor. Standing 5 feet, 10 inches, Jimmy threw right and batted left. Later that year, twenty-six-year-old Jimmy decided to move out to West Oakland, a neighborhood in Oakland, California with his wife Lillian. During the Depression, California was seen by many as a land of opportunity. Oakland was the last stop west along the first transcontinental railroad. By 1900, African Americans working as Pullman porters helped establish an ethnically diverse, middle class community in West Oakland.

In 1934, Jimmy played for the San Francisco (also referred to as the San Francisco Colored Giants). This was an independent, semi-pro African American team that mostly played against Caucasian teams within the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1935, Bonner joined the Oakland Black Sox. In one game against the Emeryville, he started in right field. When the pitcher got in trouble in the fifth inning, Jimmy was called in to replace him. Jimmy allowed only two bases on balls, and struck out six. In 1936, Jimmy pitched for the Berkeley Grays of the Berkeley International League. This league was an ethnic mix of Bay Area teams. Their home field was San Pablo Park, where games could draw crowds of up to 2,000.

In a game on April 19, 1936, Jimmy whiffed seventeen batters in a contest against the Berkeley Cardinals. This broke the previous league record of fourteen strikeouts. Then on May 18, Jimmy shut out the strong Athens Elks. He allowed only two singles to win 9-0. Jimmy was referred to as "Satchel" Jim by both the Oakland Tribune and the Berkeley Gazette. He also led the team at the plate, hitting two for four at bats and driving in a run.

On September 5 and 6, Jimmy led the Civilian Conservation Corp's San Pablo Dam team to the CCC championship. He accomplished this by pitching three complete games in two days to take the series 3-1. Jimmy's success had caught the attention of Harry H. Kono, a successful Japanese American businessman based in Alameda. On September 8, Kono, working as an agent for the Dai Tokyo Baseball Club, signed Jimmy to play in the newly formed Japanese Professional Baseball League. Jimmy's team had been formed in February of that year and had been struggling. They were hoping that Jimmy's talent would lift them from the depths of the cellar.