Major League Baseball will pay tribute to the Negro Leagues with a special game at Birmingham, Alabama's historic Rickwood Field on June 20, 2024. The game will feature the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals, and will be played at the oldest professional ballpark in the United States.

Opened in 1910, the 10,800-seat Rickwood Field is a National Historic Site and served as the home of the Birmingham Black Barons from 1924 to 1960. The game holds special significance for Cardinals rookie Jordan Walker, who expressed his enthusiasm for representing his culture on such a platform.

The event will also honor Hall of Famer Willie Mays, a Birmingham native who started his professional career with the Black Barons in 1948. Both Giants manager Gabe Kapler and Mays himself expressed excitement and emotion regarding the tribute game.

Scheduled around the Juneteenth holiday, the game serves as a commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. A Double-A game between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits will also take place at Rickwood Field on June 18.

The June 20 game, with St. Louis as the home team, is set for a 7 p.m. EDT start and will be broadcast nationally on Fox. Teams will don period uniforms reflecting the Negro Leagues history of both San Francisco and St. Louis.

Commissioner Rob Manfred emphasized the importance of remembering the legacy of the Negro Leagues and its players, particularly Willie Mays. Mays, now 92, is widely regarded as one of baseball's all-time greats, with a career spanning from the Birmingham Black Barons to the New York/San Francisco Giants, where he achieved numerous accolades including 24 All-Star selections, two NL MVP awards, and a World Series title.

In preparation for the event, MLB will collaborate with the City of Birmingham and Friends of Rickwood to renovate the historic ballpark, which served as the minor league Barons' home for many years. The Barons currently play at Regions Field but return to Rickwood annually for a tribute game.

Jordan Walker highlighted the significance of honoring the Negro Leagues, emphasizing its role as a platform for Black athletes in baseball before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.