ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals are across the pond in London for a game in 2023, and they'll be down in Alabama for another special game in 2024.
Major League Baseball officially announced this week that the Cardinals and Giants would play a regular season game on June 20, 2024, from Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
It's a historic venue for a game, in a place that has seen all sorts of baseball over the years.
"(Rickwood) is a revered, I guess you could say hallowed ground so to speak. It is the oldest active professional baseball park in the country. It's older than Wrigley and Fenway. And so much history was made on those hallowed grounds, and I can tell you the Negro Leagues were front and center in helping usher in some of that baseball history. The great Birmingham Black Barons called Rickwood Field home for many years," Negro Leagues Museum President Bob Kendrick said.
The field has hosted the likes of Babe Ruth, Stan Musial and Hank Aaron over the years, but its most notable player is likely a 17-year-old Willie Mays, who played for the Black Barons in 1948.
"To see the joy that this announcement brought to him (Mays)... you've got to imagine that he's 17 again... He'll be 93 by the time this game takes place. So that would be a monumental moment to see Willie Mays walk out at Rickwood Field one more time," Kendrick said.
Rickwood has hosted a number of St. Louis Negro League connections as well in its history, and the Cardinals and Giants are expected to wear throwback uniforms from that era for the 2024 game.
"Mule Stuttles, Satchel Paige all called Rickwood Field home at one point in time... and called St. Louis home. It's great to see the Cardinals and Giants play in this game because of their connections to the Negro Leagues and to see both of them in those Negro League uniforms conjuring up the spirit of Cool Papa Bell and Willie Wells and all those great guys who called St. Louis and New York and San Francisco home," Kendrick said.
After the success of the Field of Dreams game in Iowa, there were some thoughts that a game celebrating the Negro Leagues could be a natural progression of that similar production. And now it's a reality.
"Baseball heard the fans. And they've responded. I couldn't be prouder of what Major League Baseball and the Players' Association in conjunction have done to bring this effort to the forefront," Kendrick said.
And this could just be the start of MLB honoring Negro Leagues history with special games at historic venues.
"These kinds of moments are really unique and quite significant as we try to grow more awareness around this history, and attract people to come here to Kansas City to learn more," Kendrick said. "I am hopeful that I will be able to be there next June to bear witness to what is truly going to be an historic moment not just for Negro Leagues baseball, but for baseball in general and Americana."