It’s not quite the movie “Field of Dreams,” but Major League Baseball is coming to Birmingham next year.
The oldest professional ballpark in the United States, a field where dreams of the likes of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Cool Papa Bell were realized, is hosting the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.
Major League Baseball announced today that Rickwood Field will be the site of a special regular season game June 20, 2024.
“We are proud to bring Major League Baseball to historic Rickwood Field in 2024,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a news release. “This opportunity to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues as the Giants and Cardinals play a regular season game at this iconic location is a great honor. The legacy of the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player, Willie Mays, is one of excellence and perseverance.
“We look forward to sharing the stories of the Negro Leagues throughout this event next year.”
Scheduled around Juneteenth next year, the game 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’t believe it. I never thought I’d see in my lifetime a Major League Baseball game being played on the very field where I played baseball as a teenager,” Mays said. “It has 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 all those who came before them is really emotional for me. We can’t forget what got us here and that was the Negro Leagues for so many of us.”
The game will be broadcast nationally on Fox.
“I am so excited that Birmingham will be able to share the magic and legacy of Rickwood Field with Major League Baseball’s millions of fans,” Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin said. “America’s oldest professional ballpark still echoes with the sounds of the legends who graced this field.
“I want to thank Major League Baseball for sharing this vision to commemorate Juneteenth and celebrate the Negro Leagues in the Magic City.”
The teams will wear period uniforms that honor San Francisco’s and St. Louis’ Negro League histories, according to MLB. The Cardinals will be the home team.
MLB, the Friends of Rickwood and the City of Birmingham will collaborate to renovate the field for 2024. The City Council recently awarded a $553,447 contract to Trawick Contractors of Birmingham to renovate the ballpark. Trawick is a women-owned construction company.
The Barons played at Rickwood Field from 1910-61, 1964-65 and 1981-87. Today, they still play one game at Rickwood Field every year — the Rickwood Classic, which began in 1996 — to pay tribute to their history at the ballpark.
“Rickwood Field has played a significant role in the Birmingham community for over a hundred years and we’re thrilled to be a special part of this event in 2024,” Barons President and General Manager Jonathan Nelson said.
The Black Barons played their Negro League home games at Rickwood Field from 1924-60. The field hosted the final Negro League World Series game in October 1948, with the Homestead Grays defeating a teenage Mays and the Black Barons.
“Preserving the legacy of the Negro Leagues is vital to growing baseball’s diversity and popularity,” said Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB Players Association. “Willie Mays, like so many other Negro Leaguers, broke down barriers and paved the way for those of us who dreamt of playing baseball at the highest level.
“This event helps to link the past, present and future and helps further the cause of attracting a new generation of players to our game.”
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