Rickwood Field Game

The Rickwood Field Game, officially "MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues", was an official MLB game be played at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, AL on June 20, 2024 and featuring the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Giants were playing as the San Francisco Sea Lions and the Cardinals as the St. Louis Stars, both paying tribute to former Negro League teams. The game was staged to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues and to the players who played in them, and the site, Rickwood Field is considered the oldest extant ballpark in North America, dating back to 1910. A National Historical Site, it underwent important renovations before being selected for the special event. A number of other events were staged around the game, including a Southern League game between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits on June 18th, the date having been chosen to honor the new national holiday of Juneteenth.

The great Willie Mays, who had played at Rickwood as a member of the Birmingham Black Barons, and who at 93 was one of the last survivors from that era, was invited to be at the game, but had to decline for health reasons. Sadly, Mays passed away on June 18th. The game thus became the perfect occasion to pay him tribute. 99-year-old Bill Greason, one of only two other remaining survivors from that era, threw the ceremonial first pitch.

In the game, St. Louis came out on top, 6-5, as Brendan Donovan homered as part of a three-run 1st inning, but Heliot Ramos tied it with a three-run blast in the 3rd. Donovan drove in another run in the 5th as St. Louis took a 6-3 lead, before the Giants rallied to come within one but were stopped by closer Ryan Helsley who struck out Matt Chapman to end the game.

Further Reading

• Betelhem Ashame: "Rickwood Field game takes on new meaning: Mays will 'be watching over'", mlb.com, June 19, 2024. [1]
• Bethelhem Ashame and Matthew Ritchie: "The best moments from a historic, poignant night at Rickwood Field", mlb.com, June 21, 2024. [2]
• Cole Jacobson: "Mays 'would like to be there,' but unable to attend Rickwood Field game", mlb.com, June 17, 2024. [3]
• Jackson Stone: "Negro Leagues legends honored with baseball cards for MLB at Rickwood Field game", mlb.com, May 23, 2024. [4]

Related Sites

• Official website of the game