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MLB at Rickwood Field

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MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues was a Major League Baseball (MLB) specialty game played between the National League (NL) West's San Francisco Giants and the NL Central's St. Louis Cardinals on June 20, 2024. The game was played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the former home of the Negro leagues' Birmingham Black Barons, one day after Juneteenth. This was the first regular-season Major League Baseball (MLB) game played in the state of Alabama. The Cardinals won 6–5.

MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
San Francisco Giants[a] 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 11 0
St. Louis Cardinals[b] 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 × 6 7 0
DateJune 20, 2024
VenueRickwood Field
CityBirmingham, Alabama
Managers
UmpiresHP: Alan Porter
1B: Adrian Johnson[c]
2B: Malachi Moore
3B: C. B. Bucknor
Attendance8,332
Time of game6:30 p.m. CDT
Ceremonial first pitchBill Greason
TelevisionFox
TV announcersJoe Davis (play-by-play)
John Smoltz (analyst)
Ken Rosenthal (reporter)
Tom Verducci (reporter)

Background

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Front entrance of Rickwood Field
 
Large Willie Mays Topps baseball card on display outside the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to promote the game in June 2024.

On June 13, 2023, initial reports revealed that the Giants would play in a Field of Dreams style game, celebrating Willie Mays in Alabama.[1] Due to construction at the MLB at Field of Dreams site, games in 2023 and 2024 were unable to happen. However, MLB decided to shift their marketing into a game to honor Willie Mays, the Negro Leagues, and Juneteenth.[2] The official name for the game was unveiled as MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues on August 4, 2023.[3] All living Negro League players were invited to the game (157 total), and 60 were confirmed to attend.[4]

Uniforms

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On June 20, 2023, MLB released a statement indicating that "On-field personnel for both teams will wear period uniforms highlighting the Negro Leagues histories of both St. Louis and San Francisco."[5]

On February 28, 2024, MLB released a teaser poster preview video for the Rickwood Field game. The poster specified the Giants are planning on wearing the San Francisco Sea Lions uniforms and the Cardinals to wear St. Louis Stars uniforms to pay homage to the cities histories of the Negro Leagues.[6]

On June 12, 2024, despite San Francisco being the designated away team and St. Louis being the designated home team, MLB revealed that the Giants will wear their cream home Sea Lions uniform while St. Louis will wear their road grays.[7] The Giants and Cardinals both wore a "Mays 24" memorial patch on their uniforms during the game.[8] The Giants' uniforms included a "throwback" logo for Chevrolet, the team's uniform advertising sponsor, on the sleeve.

Renovations to Rickwood Field

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In October 2022, MLB executives met with Rickwood Field Chairman and Executive Director, Gerald Watkins to discuss mock-up designs of how to set the ballpark up, how to reconfigure the clubhouses and dugouts, where to put medical areas, how to revamp the concessions and where to build the broadcast center.[9]

Preparatory renovations of the park were scheduled to begin in 2023. Jerry Brewer of The Washington Post wrote, "MLB is tasked with performing tasteful cosmetic surgery on a ballpark known for its old and minimalist charm."[10]

By 2024, Rickwood Field underwent $5 million in renovations which included a new playing surface, a new padded wall[d] that is 10 feet (3.0 m) deeper than the original, and shifting the entire field to the left by 5 feet (1.5 m) to make the field more symmetrical. Other renovations include new dugouts, a modern batter's eye in center field, a digital scoreboard, netting along the foul lines and accessibility upgrades.[11] Tahoma 31 bermuda grass, and temporary light towers were also installed during the renovation.[12]

Willie Mays' death

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Willie Mays (left) with Bernard Kincaid at Rickwood Field in 2006

On June 17, 2024, Willie Mays made a public statement to the San Francisco Chronicle that he would not be able to attend the game later that week on June 20.[13] Mays died the following day, at the age of 93 of heart failure.[14] MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred released a statement after Mays' death: "Thursday's game at historic Rickwood Field was designed to be a celebration of Willie Mays and his peers. With sadness in our hearts, it will now also serve as a national remembrance of an American who will forever remain on the short list of the most impactful individuals our great game has ever known."[15] On the day of the game, the ballpark groundskeepers painted the number 24 behind home plate, paying homage to Mays.[16]

LaMonte Wade Jr. appeal

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On June 18, Giants first baseman and leadoff hitter, LaMonte Wade Jr.'s appeal to play in the June 20th game was denied by MLB. Wade strained his hamstring on May 27th in a game against the Phillies and was scheduled to miss at least 4 weeks. Since Wade is one of the prominent Black players in MLB and one of three in the Giants' clubhouse, along with pitchers Spencer Bivens and Jordan Hicks, he made it his goal to return for the Rickwood Field game. Giants manager, Bob Melvin indicated the Giants tried to get MLB to reverse its decision, but ultimately was unsuccessful. Melvin said the Giants would prioritize adding him to the roster, even if he were only cleared to be the designated hitter.[11] With the San Francisco Giants able to add a player and carry 27 players on the active roster for Thursday’s Rickwood Field game, the team added utility player Tyler Fitzgerald. That move confirmed the fact that Wade would not play in the Rickwood game. Instead Wade, one of three African American players on the Giants’ roster, remained on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Wade instead brought out the lineup card during the pregame home plate meeting.[17]

Umpires

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Thursday's game at Rickwood was umpired by an all-Black crew for the first time in MLB history. Adrian Johnson served as the crew chief and first-base ump, while Alan Porter called balls and strikes. Malachi Moore oversaw second base and C.B. Bucknor was in charge of third base. Jeremie Rehak managed the replays. MLB has employed just 11 Black umpires in AL/NL history; the five that worked Thursday's game were the only black umpires active that day.[18]

Rosters

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San Francisco Sea Lions Roster
Starting Pitchers Bullpen Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Designated Hitters

Manager

Coaches

St. Louis Stars Roster
Starting Pitchers Bullpen Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Designated Hitters

Manager

Coaches

Pregame

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Jon Batiste

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Musical artist Jon Batiste strummed a guitar while dancing on a wooden stage near home plate to kick off the pregame ceremonies with his band which included Brittney Spencer, Willie Jones, and C.S. Armstrong. They sang the national anthem and played a mix of instruments to pay homage to the period.[19] Four F-35A fighter jets from the Alabama National Guard's 187th Fighter Wing performed a flyover during the anthem.[citation needed]

Negro League' Players Ceremony

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Fans stood as the Cardinals and Giants led former Negro Leaguers were helped to the field for a pregame ceremony. They sat along the first and third base lines as Batiste and company finished their performance. Next, a video of the late, great Willie Mays played on the video board. Then Mays' son, Michael, came out onto the field alongside Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. Mays, shouted to the Rickwood Field crowd, "Birmingham, I've been telling y'all if there's any way on earth my father could come down here, that he would," Mays said in a short speech. "Well he found another way. He already stands at your feet. Let him hear you, he's listening." The crowd then erupted in a standing ovation and began to chant "Will-ie! Will-ie!"[20] Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field PA announcer Jeremiah Paprocki was the PA announcer for the game.[21]

Ceremonial first pitch

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99-year old WWII veteran, former Black Baron and Cardinal, Bill Greason threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Greason played with Mays on the Black Barons and lived across the street from Martin Luther King Jr. and is the oldest living Negro league ballplayer.[22]

Game

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Scheduling

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The game was the first MLB regular season game in the state of Alabama.[23] It was played on a Thursday and was the first game of a three-game series followed by an off-day and two games at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Saturday and Sunday.[24]

Lineups

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Recap

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In the first inning, San Francisco batter Matt Chapman grounded out to Brandon Crawford, a longtime Giants shortstop who was playing his first game of his professional career at third base for the Cardinals, with whom he had signed before the season.[27] In the bottom half of the first, The Cardinals kicked off the scoring when Nolan Gorman hit a sacrifice fly to plate Masyn Winn. The next batter, Brendan Donovan, hit a two run homer to right field.

In the top of the third, Giants center fielder Heliot Ramos responded with a three run opposite field home run just over the right field wall. In the bottom half of the inning, Gorman hit another sac–fly to score Winn, then Alec Burleson scored on a wild pitch from Giants reliever Randy Rodríguez.

In the top of the fifth inning, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of 'The Catch', Fox replicated a 1954 broadcast by making the video feed black and white, making the microphone audio scratchy, adding a projector sound in the background, and using identical angles to the 1954 World Series broadcast. The inning showed a split screen of the pitcher and runner at first, as well as 1950s-style camera angles for a ground ball Heliot Ramos hit that resulted in a double play. In the bottom half of the fifth, Brendan Donovan singled to center to score Alec Burleson.

In between the fifth and the sixth innings, MLB held a brief ceremony for their Stand Up to Cancer program, aimed to raise awareness and find cures for cancer patients. In the top half of the sixth inning, Wilmer Flores singled to center to score Matt Chapman and move Jorge Soler to third. Two batters later, Nick Ahmed hit a sac-fly to left to score Soler to make the score 6–5. The bullpens dealt throughout the rest of the game, including Adam Kloffenstein making his Major League Baseball debut, and Ryan Helsley shut the door on the Giants to earn the save. Cardinals left fielder Brendan Donovan, who grew up in Enterprise, Alabama, led the Cardinals offense, going three-for-four with a home run and three RBIs. Andre Pallante earned himself the win, and Keaton Winn was credited with the loss.[28]

Line score

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June 20, 2024 6:30 p.m. CDT (7:30 p.m. EDT) at Rickwood Field
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
San Francisco 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 11 0
St. Louis 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 × 6 7 0
WP: Andre Pallante (3–3)   LP: Keaton Winn (3–8)   Sv: Ryan Helsley (25)
Home runs:
SF: Heliot Ramos (10)
STL: Brendan Donovan (7)
Attendance: 8,332
Umpires: Alan Porter, Adrian Johnson, Malachi Moore
C. B. Bucknor

Box score

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MiLB at Rickwood Field

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MiLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Montgomery Biscuits[e] 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 9 0
Birmingham Barons[f] 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 15 0
DateJune 18, 2024
VenueRickwood Field
CityBirmingham, Alabama
Managers
Attendance7,866[29]
Ceremonial first pitch6:15 CST
TelevisionMLB Network
TV announcersRich Waltz (play-by-play)
Chris Young (analyst)
Roy Wood Jr. (reporter)

Along with the June 20 game between the Giants and Cardinals, the Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate) and the Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox affiliate) of Minor League Baseball's Double-A Southern League played a game at Rickwood Field on June 18.The visiting Biscuits wore Montgomery Gray Sox road uniforms while the home Barons wore Birmingham Black Barons home uniforms.[30]

In the top of the 7th inning, Rich Waltz passed along the news that all-time great Willie Mays passed away at the age of 93. The fans in the stadium found out about Mays' passing as the Rickwood Field PA announcer addressed the crowd in between the 7th and 8th inning. The fans gave Mays a standing ovation shortly after to honor his life and legacy.[31]

African-American Rays top 10 prospect and Biscuits center fielder, Chandler Simpson tweaked his calf trying to make a play in the bottom of the seventh inning and had exited the game with the team trainer. He then found out about the passing of Mays. Postgame, Simpson stated, “He was definitely here in spirit throughout the whole game... But everybody gave thanks, and then everybody was appreciative of him and all the greats that came before me.”[29] The Grey Sox beat the Black Barons by a score of 6–5.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Playing as the San Francisco Sea Lions
  2. ^ Playing as the St. Louis Stars
  3. ^ Crew Chief
  4. ^ The padding will be removed from the wall after the game
  5. ^ Playing as the Montgomery Grey Sox
  6. ^ Playing as the Birmingham Black Barons

References

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  1. ^ Martin, Angela (June 13, 2023). "MLB announces Giants-Cardinals to clash in historic game at Rickwood Field". NBC Sports Bay Area. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Adler, David (June 20, 2023). "Cardinals, Giants to play at oldest professional ballpark in '24". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Garrison, Greg (August 3, 2023). "Major League Baseball announces branding for Rickwood Field game". AL.com. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Foster, Jason (May 30, 2024). "Here's all you need to know about the 2024 MLB game at Rickwood Field". MLB.com. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  5. ^ "Rickwood Field to host MLB, MiLB games in 2024". MiLB.com. June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Batchelor, Brett (February 28, 2024). "MLB releases promo video ahead of 'A Tribute to the Negro Leagues' game this summer at Rickwood Field". WBRC. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Schofield, Mark (June 12, 2024). "Giants and Cardinals to wear Negro League uniforms for MLB at Rickwood Field". SB Nation. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Thosar, Deesha (June 20, 2024). "Willie Mays' presence felt everywhere at Rickwood Field as Cardinals edge Giants". Fox Sports. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  9. ^ Segrest, Doug (September 26, 2023). "Rickwood Field is Going Big League". Doing More Today. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  10. ^ Brewer, Jerry (August 27, 2023). "Birmingham's Rickwood Field is the best kind of monument: A real one". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Webeck, Evan (June 18, 2024). "MLB denies SF Giants' appeal for LaMonte Wade Jr. to participate in Rickwood Classic". The Mercury News. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "The 2024 MLB Rickwood Field Game". Legacy Turf Farms. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Hall of Famer Willie Mays will not be in attendance for Negro League tribute game at Rickwood Field". Associated Press. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Shea, John (June 18, 2024). "Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants legend and MLB all-time great, is dead". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  15. ^ Feinsand, Mark [@Feinsand] (June 18, 2024). "MLB has released the following from Commissioner Rob Manfred on the passing of Hall of Famer Willie Mays at age 93" (Tweet). Retrieved June 18, 2024 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Baggarly, Andrew (June 20, 2024). "Preparing the field at Rickwood. Say hey". X. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  17. ^ Webeck, Evan (June 20, 2024). "Giants add Tyler Fitzgerald to active roster for Rickwood Field game". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Anderson, R.J. (June 19, 2024). "Rickwood Field game to make MLB history with first all-Black umpiring crew, per report". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  19. ^ Moses, Nigell (June 20, 2024). "Jon Batiste performs at MLB tribute game". 4WWL. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  20. ^ Ritchie, Matthew (June 20, 2024). "The best moments from a historic, poignant night at Rickwood Field". mlb.com. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Paprocki, Jeremiah (June 20, 2024). "The Voice of MLB At Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals". X. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  22. ^ Vaughan, Charles (June 20, 2024). "Bill Greason to throw out first pitch at Rickwood Field game at age 99". Yellowhammer News. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  23. ^ Andres, Patrick (June 20, 2023). "MLB to Honor Willie Mays With Special 2024 Juneteenth Game at Historic Ballpark". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  24. ^ Axisa, Mike (June 20, 2023). "Giants and Cardinals to play 2024 game at Alabama's Rickwood Field, MLB will include Willie Mays tribute". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  25. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants, at Rickwood Field, June 20, 2024". Baseball-Reference.com. June 20, 2024.
  26. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants, at Rickwood Field, June 20, 2024". Baseball-Reference.com. June 20, 2024.
  27. ^ "Brandon Crawford Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  28. ^ "Donovan homers, Cardinals beat Giants 6-5 in game at Rickwood Field honoring Mays and Negro Leagues". ESPN. Associated Press. June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  29. ^ a b Sam, Dykstra (June 19, 2024). "Simpson electrifies during MiLB at Rickwood Field". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  30. ^ Stumbaugh, Julia (June 12, 2024). "Giants, Cardinals to Wear Negro League Throwback Uniforms for Rickwood Field MLB Game". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  31. ^ "AL: Willie Mays Death/Rickwood Field Crowd Reacts". KTBS. June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
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