MLB will make history with its arrival in Alabama this week, but unfortunately, one of the most legendary figures in sports will not be able to be part of the festivities.
On Thursday, MLB will play its first regular season game in Birmingham, Alabama, where the Giants will take on the Cardinals at Rickwood Field.
This park is the oldest professional baseball stadium in the United States. It is best known for being the home of the Birmingham Black Barons in the early 20th century, a franchise that produced eventual Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Mule Suttles and Willie Mays.
Mays, now 93, disclosed in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle that he will not be present for Thursday’s game.
“I would have loved to go to Rickwood Field this week to be with everyone and enjoy being on the field with my friends. Rickwood has been a big part of my life. Ever since I was a kid, it was ‘just around the corner’ from Fairfield [el pueblo donde Mays fue a la escuela secundaria] and it seemed to me that it had been there for centuries. Like a church. The only thing I set as a goal was to play at Rickwood Field. It wasn’t a dream. It was something I was determined to do. He was going to work hard to be one of the Birmingham Black Barons and play at Rickwood Field. That ‘s what I did. It was my beginning. My first job. You never forget that. Rickwood Field is where I played my first game, and nothing was better than that — the only thing I wanted. I would have loved to be there, but I can’t move like I used to. So, I’ll watch it from my home. But it will be good to see. I’m glad the Giants, Cardinals and MLB are doing this, letting everyone see pro ball at Rickwood Field. It’s good to remind people of the great baseball that has been played there, and all the players. All these years have passed and it’s still there. Me too. Can you believe it?”
Because Mays played for the Barons (13 games in 1948, while in high school) and the Giants (from 1951 to 1972), there would have been no better script than seeing Mays in the stadium, inducted into the Hall of Fame. Fame in 1979.
Mays was born in Westfield, Alabama, with baseball — and the Black Barons specifically — as his immediate passions. After managing to play briefly with the Barons while also seeing action on his school’s baseball, basketball, and football teams, Mays’ career quickly rose to a legendary level during his time with the Giants.
He finished his MLB career with 24 All-Star Game appearances, still tied for second most all-time behind Hank Aaron’s 25. He also ranked fifth all-time in bWAR. By any measure, Mays is among the few to be seen as the best to ever step onto a diamond.
Furthermore, with the Giants being the team he played for the majority of his career, it was only fitting that the San Francisco squad was one of the two teams involved in this week’s clash. Rickwood Field is listed as one of the National Register’s Historic Sites, and has been the site of other games in recent years, including the Birmingham Barons (the Double-A branch of the White Sox) and on special occasions the Savannah Bananas. But this week will be the first time that MLB not only holds an official game in the state of Alabama, but at Rickwood Field specifically.
Although the party Giants-Cardinals will be the finishing touch, the week will feature other events at Rickwood Field. On Tuesday, the Birmingham Barons will host a match and on Wednesday there will be a stadium celebration of the day Juneteenth.
