The event at Rickwood Field came just days after the passing of Giants legend, Willie Mays, who started his baseball career there.
Chris AlvarezMLB honored Negro League baseball with a game between the SF Giants and St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, at the historic Rickwood Field Ballpark.Major League Baseball honored Negro League baseball with a game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, at the historic Rickwood Field Ballpark in Birmingham, Alabama.
It was even more meaningful because it came just days after the passing of Giants legend, Willie Mays, who started his baseball career there. This event was originally intended to honor Mays' career and life and now fans are also mourning his passing.The game, which MLB called "A Tribute to the Negro Leagues," was meant to honor the legacy of Mays and other Black baseball greats who left an enduring mark on the sport.
MLB planned a week of activities around Mays and the Negro Leagues, including an unveiling ceremony on Wednesday of a Willie Mays mural in downtown Birmingham.New mural honoring Willie Mays unveiled in Birmingham ahead of historic MLB game at Rickwood Field You could hear the celebration at Rickwood Field on Thursday even before arriving at the ballpark with the rapid thumping of a drum echoing from inside the ballpark, excited murmurs from fans skipping toward the music and frequent bursts of laughter.There were photos and artifacts of baseball Hall of Famers who played at the 114-year-old ballpark, including Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige.
Outside, fans stood in line to hold a baseball bat used by Mays in 1959. They took photos sitting inside an original bus from 1947 that was typically used during barnstorming tours by Negro Leagues teams. They danced to live music and ate food from concession stands featuring menu boards designed to reflect the look and feel of the 1940s.Related Topics
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