Willie Mays was remembered in his old place Thursday night when the baseball great was honored at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
Mays, who began his professional career in Rickwood with the Birmingham Black Barons, died this week at the age of 93.
And although MLB had already planned the ‘Negro Leagues Tribute’ game before Mays’ passing, the matchup between the Giants and Cardinals took on a more significant meaning when news of the icon’s death spread.
For the game, Mays’ number 24 was painted behind home plate, while the crowd also rose to give him a standing ovation before the contest.
His son, Michael, addressed the crowd and spoke of his father’s disappointment in not being healthy enough to travel to the game before his death.
A plaque honoring Willie Mays is seen before a game at Rickwood Field on Thursday.
The field was painted with Mays’ number 24 in honor of the legendary baseball player.
Mays was nicknamed ‘The Say Hey Kid’ due to his cheerful attitude and positive spirit.
“Birmingham, I’ve been telling everyone that if there was any way on earth my dad could come here, I would,” he said. “Well, he has found another way.”
In the front of the stadium was a memorial to Mays, with dolls, a signed glove and his Black Barons and San Francisco Giants jerseys on display.
The stadium was decorated with photos and artifacts of baseball Hall of Famers who played at the 114-year-old site, including Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige.
Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, who spent time in Rickwood with the Birmingham Athletics in Double-A baseball, was also in attendance and shared what it was like to return.
“Coming back here is not easy,” he said in the FOX broadcast. ‘The racism that I played here…
Mays’ son Michael (center) addressed the crowd before the game in Birmingham, Alabama.
Eddie Torres, right, and his son Junior, from California and wearing San Francisco Giants uniforms with Willie Mays’ number 24 on the back.
Rickwood Field in Birmingham is 114 years old and played a pivotal role in the Negro Leagues
‘Luckily I had a coach and players on the team who helped me get through it. But I don’t wish it on anyone.
The original clubhouse of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, where Mays began his professional career in 1948, was open Thursday.
MLB also recognized the occasion by naming an all-black umpiring crew for the first time in league history.
In its long history, Rickwood, opened in 1910, has hosted 181 of the Hall of Fame’s 351 total members, according to CBS Sports.
The legend of the San Francisco Giants is considered by many to be the best baseball player in history
Rickwood Field also featured tributes to players like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and more.
The Negro Leagues were started because black players were not allowed into Major League Baseball, and the Negro National League in particular was founded in 1920.
And Rickwood played a pivotal role in the league, as the Black Barons shared the stadium with the all-white Birmingham Barons for 40 years.
MLB released a statement from commissioner Rob Manfred after Mays’ death, which said: “His incredible accomplishments and statistics do not begin to describe the amazement I felt watching Willie Mays dominate the game in every way imaginable.” We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field.”
No cause of death was given for Mays, 93, who was the oldest living Hall of Famer.
