MLB at Rickwood Field: Everything You Need To Know (2024)

Rickwood Field is the oldest professional baseball park in the USA. It opened in 1910, two years before Fenway and four years before Wrigley. When Comiskey Park was demolished in 1991, Rickwood Field officially claimed the title of the oldest ballpark in the country.

The stadium was built to house the Birmingham Barons of the Southern Association, but it was also the long-time home of the Birmingham Black Barons, who played in the Negro Leagues from the 1920s to the 1960s.

Last summer, Major League Baseball announced that two teams, the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, would play a regular season game at Rickwood Field in 2024. Nearly a year has passed since that announcement, and finally, MLB at Rickwood Field is almost here.

MLB at Rickwood Field: The History

To tell the story of MLB at Rickwood Field, we must first go back to the story of MLB at Field of Dreams.

In August 2021, the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees played the first-ever Field of Dreams game in the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa. The following year, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds suited up for the second annual Field of Dreams matchup.

Unfortunately, the Field of Dreams game did not take place in 2023 due to construction at the ballpark site. There will be no Field of Dreams game this summer either; the event has been put on hold until at least 2025.

However, in its place, MLB decided to host a regular season game in a new iconic location: Rickwood Field. In a statement, commissioner Rob Manfred explained the event would “pay tribute to the Negro Leagues” and honor Willie Mays, who played for the Birmingham Black Barons at Rickwood Field before he began his career with the New York Giants.

Unfortunately, Mays, who turned 93 in May, will be unable to attend the festivities this summer. However, MLB at Rickwood Field is not just a celebration of Mays; all living Negro League players have been invited, and many will attend.

The Events

MiLB at Rickwood Field

The program kicks off with MiLB at Rickwood Field on Tuesday, June 18 at 6:00 pm local time (CDT). The Birmingham Barons (Double-A affiliate of the White Sox) and Montgomery Biscuits (Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays) will face off in the contest.

The Barons will play as the Birmingham Black Barons for the evening, while the Biscuits will play as the Montgomery Gray Sox, another former Negro League team.

The Barons, of course, will be the home team in their former stadium. Indeed, the team is still quite familiar with Rickwood, as the Barons continued to play one game there every year from 1996 to 2019.

The Biscuits will be the home team for the rest of the series, which continues throughout the week at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium.

Barnstorm Birmingham

In celebration of Juneteenth, Rickwood Field will host Barnstorm Birmingham (stylized as BARNSTORM BIRMINGHAM) on Wednesday, June 19.

The event is centered around a celebrity softball game – players will include 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard and Emmy-nominated comedian Roy Wood Jr. – followed by a performance by Metro Boomin.

MLB at Rickwood Field

Finally, on Thursday, June 20, the Giants and Cardinals will face off for the main event, with first pitch at 6:15 pm local time (CDT) at Rickwood Field. For fans attending the event, public gates will open at 3:00 pm.

Who Is Playing in MLB at Rickwood Field?

The San Francisco Giants, with whom Willie Mays spent 21 years of his legendary career, will face off against the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field on June 20.

Both teams will wear uniforms that honor the history of Black baseball in their respective cities. The Giants will wear a modern version of the uniforms worn by the San Francisco Sea Lions, while the Cardinals will wear a redesign of the uniforms worn by the St. Louis Stars.

Despite the Giants’ strong connection to Willie Mays, the Cardinals will be the home team for the contest. St. Louis is significantly closer than San Francisco to Birmingham, and the two teams will travel to St. Louis to complete the three-game series at Busch Stadium over the weekend.

Probable Pitchers

Neither team has officially announced a starting pitcher (as of June 17), but these arms are currently lined up to start on June 20 at Rickwood Field:

• Giants: Keaton Winn (RHP)
• Cardinals: Andre Pallante (RHP)

When Does MLB at Rickwood Field Start?

The events at Rickwood Field begin with the Barons vs. Gray Sox matchup on Tuesday, June 18 at 6:00 pm CDT (first pitch at 6:15 pm). MLB at Rickwood Field takes place two days later on Thursday, June 20, with first pitch at 6:15 pm CDT.

Here is the complete schedule of games:

How To Watch MLB at Rickwood Field?

The MLB at Rickwood Field matchup between the Giants and Cardinals will air nationally on FOX, with first pitch at 6:15 pm CDT on Thursday, June 20.

Fans in Birmingham can also watch the game at one of four free watch parties hosted by:

• Continental Drift – 2201 7th Ave. S, Birmingham
• Denim on 7th – 2808 7th Ave. S #105, Birmingham
• SLEEK – 1005 20th St. S, Birmingham
• Uptown Jazz Club – 2250-B 9th Ave. N, Birmingham

Radio Options (per MLB.com)

• Cardinals – KMOX 1120 AM/98.7 FM, Cardinals Radio Network, WIJR AM 880 (en Español), WFUN 96.3 FM
• Giants – 1510 AM – KSFN, KNBR 680

How To Watch MiLB at Rickwood Field?

Fans can stream the MiLB matchup between the Birmingham Black Barons and Montgomery Gray Sox on Bally Live or MiLB.TV.

You can read more about Rickwood Field and the upcoming events and purchase tickets at MLB.com.

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Tags: Birmingham BaronsMLB EventsMontgomery BiscuitsRickwood FieldSan Francisco GiantsSt. Louis CardinalsWillie Mays

Leo Morgenstern is an editor for Just Baseball and a writer for FanGraphs and MLB Trade Rumors. His work has also appeared at Baseball Prospectus, Pitcher…