Thursday night in Birmingham was historic, with Major League Baseball paying homage to the Negro Leagues and the historic Rickwood Field, which holds the claim as the oldest professional ballpark in the United States.
It was already going to be a special night for baseball, the city of Birmingham, and the entire state of Alabama, but it was made even more special with the passing of Birmingham legend Willie Mays this week. Mays got his professional start at Rickwood for the Birmingham Black Barons. The Thursday night game made for a touching tribute to one of the best athletes not just to come out of Alabama — but in the history of sports.
In fitting fashion, a fellow Alabama native had a huge game for the St. Louis Cardinals, going 3 of 4 including a home run, a double, and three RBIs to help his team take down the Giants by a score of 6-5.
Congratulations to Enterprise's own Brendan Donovan, who had three hits, including this 498-foot homerun, at last night's historic @RickwoodField game in Birmingham!
His team, the @Cardinals, won 6-5 over the @SFGiants. pic.twitter.com/muUcH2itO4
— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) June 21, 2024
Brendan Donovan, who began his career at Enterprise High School where he was raised, has been with the Cardinals since the start of his major league career in 2022.
Donovan was a star for Enterprise and hit for a .467 batting average during his senior season in 2015 before attending South Alabama to play collegiately.
While Donovan did defeat Mays’ former team in San Francisco, surely the all-time great was smiling down seeing an Alabama man show out at Rickwood Field.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
