Major League Baseball comes to the oldest professional ballpark in the United States.
Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama – the former home of the Negro Leagues’ Birmingham Black Barons and where Willie Mays once played – will host the Cardinals and Giants on June 20, 2024 for a special regular season game.
“We are proud to bring Major League Baseball to historic Rickwood Field in 2024,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. “This opportunity to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues while the Giants and Cardinals play a regular season game at this legendary venue is a great honor. The legacy of the Negro Leagues and their greatest living player, Willie Mays, is one of excellence and endurance. We look forward to sharing the stories of the Negro Leagues during this event next year.”
MLB announced plans for the game on Tuesday. Taking place around June 19 next year, it will include a tribute to the Negro Leagues and Mays, baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer and a Birmingham native who played for the Black Barons in 1948 before his legendary career with the Giants.
“I can not believe it. I never thought I would ever play a Major League Baseball game on the field I played baseball on as a teenager,” Mays said. “It’s been 75 years since I played for the Birmingham Black Barons at Rickwood Field and to learn that my Giants and the Cardinals will play a game there and honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues and everyone that came before them , is really emotional.” for me. We can’t forget what got us here and that for so many of us was the Negro Leagues.”
The game will be televised nationally at 7 p.m. ET on FOX.
“It’s going to be a special moment,” said Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. “Anytime you can shine a light on the Negro League players and everything they’ve done for our game – to build a game around that and also honor Willie, that’s going to be really cool.” I look forward to it definitely looking forward to participating in this game.”
Giants manager Gabe Kapler added, “A truly incredible opportunity for our organization. I’m really excited about it.”
The Giants and Cardinals, who will make up the home team, will wear historic uniforms honoring the history of the Negro League in San Francisco and St. Louis.
“Birmingham, Alabama has a rich history in baseball and has played host to Cardinals legends such as Stan Musial, Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick and Rogers Hornsby over the years,” said Bill DeWitt Jr., Cardinals chairman. “We look forward to this historic Southern baseball showcase celebrating the great legacy of the Negro Leagues, minor league baseball and of course the legendary Willie Mays.”
MLB, the Friends of Rickwood and the City of Birmingham will work together to renovate the field for 2024.
“I’m thrilled that Birmingham can share the magic and legacy of Rickwood Field with the millions of Major League Baseball fans,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. “America’s oldest professional ballpark still reverberate with the sounds of the legends that graced that field. I want to thank Major League Baseball for sharing this vision to commemorate Juneteenth and celebrate the Negro Leagues at the Magic City.”
Two days before San Francisco and St. Louis play at the National Historic Site, Rickwood Field will also host a minor league game between the Double-A Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits on June 18, 2024.
The Barons played at Rickwood Field in 1910–61, 1964–65 and 1981–87. They still play a game each year at Rickwood Field – the Rickwood Classic, which began in 1996 – to honor their history at the ballpark.
“Rickwood Field has played a significant role in the Birmingham community for over a hundred years and we are delighted to be a special part of this event in 2024,” said Jonathan Nelson, President and General Manager of Barons.
The Black Barons played their Negro League home games at Rickwood Field from 1924 to 1960. The field hosted the final game of the Negro League World Series in October 1948, where the Homestead Grays defeated a teenager Mays and the Black Barons.
Numerous baseball legends have played throughout Rickwood Field’s long history: Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Cool Papa Bell, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Oscar Charleston, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, Larry Doby, Rube Foster, Lou Gehrig, Josh Gibson, Monte Irvin, Reggie Jackson, Buck Leonard, Biz Mackey, Mickey Mantle, Connie Morgan, Musial, Satchel Paige, Frank Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Duke Snider, Toni Stone, Cristobal Torriente, Honus Wagner, Willie Wells and more .
“Preserving the legacy of the Negro Leagues is critical to increasing baseball’s diversity and popularity,” said Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB Players Association. “Willie Mays, like so many other Negro League players, broke down barriers and paved the way for those of us who dreamed of playing baseball at the highest level. This event helps to connect the past, present and future and helps further drive the attraction of attracting a new generation of players to our game.