🎉⚾ Rickwood Field Don Wake Up Again, Go Host MLB Game: San Francisco Giants 🦸♂️ Vs St. Louis Cardinals 🐦 Go Show Dia Self
Na Rickwood Field for Birmingham, Alabama 🇺🇸 wey be di oldest baseball stadium for obodo United States, plenty ogbonge ⭐ baseball legends don play game dia for di last 113 years, people like Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, wey even grow na small distance from di park. 🧢⚾🏟️
Next year, na so di stadium go shine well-well again 💫 as e go host Major League Baseball (MLB) game between San Francisco Giants 🦸♂️ and St. Louis Cardinals 🐦. Dem don plan dis game for June 20, 2024. 📆⚾🔥
Di Rickwood Field wey don tey pass Fenway Park and Wrigley Field sef, na for 1910 dem take open am. Di stadium don serve as home for many teams since that time, people like Willie Mays’s Birmingham Black Barons of di Negro American League and Birmingham Barons wey be minor league team. 🏟️🧢🌠
MLB bin announce di game on Tuesday 📅 as part of their new wahala to show regular-season games for special places. MLB dey call them Specialty Games, and dem don hold some before for Fort Bragg, N.C.; for Omaha, wey be di site of di College World Series; and for Williamsport, Pa., wey be di place of di Little League World Series. 🎈⚾🌐
MLB don even hold two Field of Dreams games for Dyersville, Iowa, near di place wey dem take shoot di 1989 baseball film 🎬 “Field of Dreams.” White Sox play against Yankees for Dyersville for 2021, and last season Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds come show demself for di corn fields. 🌽🎥⚾ No Field of Dreams game dey planned for 2023 because of construction work for di place. 🚧🔨🔧
MLB talk say dem choose di date of di Rickwood Field game to match with Juneteenth and say di game go come with plenty activities to celebrate di history of di Negro leagues and Mays, wey be di best living player of di game. 📆⚾🎉
Mays wey be 92 years old, attend high school wey no far from Rickwood Field. For 1948, even though e be 17 years and still dey school, he start im professional career with Black Barons. After one year, he sign contract with New York Giants. 🧢🏫⚾
MLB talk say Mays shock: “I no fit believe am. I no ever think say I go see for my lifetime say Major League Baseball game go happen for di same field wey I take play baseball when I still be teenager.” 😲⚾🙌
E come end im talk say, “We no fit forget how we take reach here, and na di Negro Leagues be di way for plenty of us.” 🙏🏿⚾🖤
Rickwood Field, wey fit seat almost 11,000 people, na Birmingham industrialist wey dem dey call Rick build am, e come model am after Forbes Field for Pittsburgh and Shibe Park for Philadelphia. Dem open am on August 18, 1910, na so businesses for Birmingham close to celebrate the big event. 🎈🏟️🎊
For di early years of di park, di place host plenty exhibition games with teams from di American and National Leagues, teams like di Yankees 🗽, but Rickwood na home to di Barons, a Southern League institution wey feature stars like Pie Traynor and Burleigh Grimes. Later years, Bo Jackson play for di Barons for Rickwood, same as Michael Jordan during his 1994 waka enter baseball. ⚾🎖️🌟
One big part of di history for di park, na from di Black Barons, a Negro leagues team wey get stars like Mule Suttles and Satchel Paige, wey win more games for Birmingham pass any other professional team. 🏆⚾🌟
For 1948, di Black Barons — with Mays in tow — face di Homestead Grays for di final Negro World Series. Even though di Grays win that Series, William Greason, wey later become di first Black pitcher for St. Louis Cardinals, collect Birmingham’s only victory. Greason, wey be 98 years old, still dey live for Birmingham and na pastor for Bethel Baptist Church, wey no far from Rickwood Field. ⛪🙏🏿🌆
NOW IN ENGLISH
🎉⚾ Rickwood Field Wakes Up Again, Hosting MLB Game: San Francisco Giants 🦸♂️ Vs St. Louis Cardinals 🐦 Ready to Showcase Their Skills
Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama 🇺🇸, known as the oldest baseball stadium in the United States, has witnessed the presence of numerous ⭐ baseball legends over the past 113 years, including Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, who grew up just a stone’s throw away from the park. 🧢⚾🏟️
And the excitement continues next year as the stadium prepares to shine once again 💫 by hosting a Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the San Francisco Giants 🦸♂️ and the St. Louis Cardinals 🐦. The highly anticipated game is scheduled for June 20, 2024. 📆⚾🔥
Opening its gates in 1910, Rickwood Field stands as a timeless gem, surpassing even Fenway Park and Wrigley Field in age. Throughout its history, it has served as a home to various teams, including Willie Mays’s Birmingham Black Barons from the Negro American League, and the Birmingham Barons, a minor league team. 🏟️🧢🌠
MLB made the exciting announcement on Tuesday 📅 as part of its ongoing efforts to stage regular-season games in unique and special venues. These games, known as Specialty Games, have previously taken place at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Omaha, the site of the College World Series; and Williamsport, Pa., the home of the Little League World Series. 🎈⚾🌐
MLB has also delighted fans with two Field of Dreams games in Dyersville, Iowa, near the location where the iconic 1989 baseball film 🎬 “Field of Dreams” was shot. In 2021, the White Sox faced the Yankees in Dyersville, and last season, it was the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds who took to the corn fields. However, there won’t be a Field of Dreams game in 2023 due to construction work at the site. 🌽🎥⚾️ The focus now shifts to the historic Rickwood Field. 🚧🔨🔧
MLB has carefully selected the date of the game at Rickwood Field to coincide with Juneteenth, a significant day in African American history. The game will feature various activities to celebrate the rich heritage of the Negro leagues and honor the greatness of Willie Mays, the living legend of the game. 📆⚾🎉
Willie Mays, who is 92 years old, attended high school just a short distance from Rickwood Field. In 1948, at the tender age of 17 while still in school, he embarked on his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons. A year later, he signed a contract with the New York Giants. 🧢🏫⚾
When Mays heard the news, he expressed his disbelief: “I can’t believe it. I never thought I’d see, in my lifetime, a Major League Baseball game being played on the very field where I played baseball as a teenager.” 😲⚾🙌
He concluded by saying, “We must never forget the path that brought us here, and for many of us, that path was paved by the Negro Leagues.” 🙏🏿⚾🖤
Rickwood Field, with a seating capacity of nearly 11,000, was built by the Birmingham industrialist known as Rick. The design of the stadium was inspired by Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and Shibe Park in Philadelphia. When it opened its doors on August 18, 1910, the entire city of Birmingham rejoiced, with businesses shutting down to celebrate this grand occasion. 🎈🏟️🎊
In its early years, Rickwood Field hosted numerous exhibition games featuring teams from the American and National Leagues, including the famous Yankees 🗽. However, Rickwood became best known as the home of the Barons, a revered institution in the Southern League that showcased baseball stars like Pie Traynor and Burleigh Grimes. In later years, both Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan added their names to the list of notable players who graced Rickwood’s field during their respective baseball endeavors. ⚾🎖️🌟
Yet, one of the most significant chapters in Rickwood Field’s history unfolded with the presence of the Black Barons, a Negro leagues team boasting stars such as Mule Suttles and Satchel Paige, who won more games for Birmingham than any other professional team. 🏆⚾🌟
In 1948, the Black Barons, led by Willie Mays, faced off against the Homestead Grays in the final Negro World Series. Although the Grays emerged as victors, William Greason, who would later become the first Black pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, secured Birmingham’s sole victory. At the age of 98, Greason still resides in Birmingham and serves as a pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, located just a stone’s throw away from Rickwood Field. ⛪🙏🏿🌆
The upcoming MLB game at Rickwood Field promises to be a celebration of baseball history, a tribute to the resilience of the Negro leagues, and an opportunity for fans to witness the San Francisco Giants 🦸♂️ and the St. Louis Cardinals 🐦 showcase their exceptional talents. 🎉⚾🌟
