MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues is an upcoming professional baseball game to be 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 is set to be played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the former home of the Negro leagues' Birmingham Black Barons, just one day after Juneteenth. This will be the first regular-season Major League Baseball (MLB) game played in the state of Alabama.
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| Date | June 20, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Rickwood Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | Birmingham, Alabama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Attendance | 10,800 (expected) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonial first pitch | 6:15 CST | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Television | Fox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Joe Davis (play-by-play) John Smoltz (analyst) Ken Rosenthal (reporter) Tom Verducci (reporter) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background edit
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]
Preparatory renovations of the park are scheduled to begin in October 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."[3] The official name for the game was unveiled as MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues on August 4, 2023.[4]
Uniforms edit
On February 28, 2024, MLB released a poster preview video for the game. The poster indicated 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.[5]
Rosters edit
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Game edit
The game will be the first MLB game in the state of Alabama.[6] It will be played on a Thursday and will be 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.[7]
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ Playing as the San Francisco Sea Lions
- ^ Playing as the St. Louis Stars
References edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ Adler, David (June 20, 2023). "Cardinals, Giants to play at oldest professional ballpark in '24". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Garrison, Greg (August 3, 2023). "Major League Baseball announces branding for Rickwood Field game". AL.com. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Andres, Patrick (June 20, 2023). "MLB to Honor Willie Mays With Special 2024 Juneteenth Game at Historic Ballpark". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ 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.