CONGRATULATIONS: MLB will honor Hall of Famer Willie Mays when it plays a Negro Leagues tribute game at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, next June.
The 10,800-seat stadium, opened in 1910, is the oldest professional ballpark in the U.S. and a National Historic Site. The stadium was home to the Birmingham Black Barons from 1924 tp '60.
MLB said Tuesday it is staging the game around the Juneteenth holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas in 1865. There also will be a Double-A game at the ballpark between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League on June 18. "The legacy of the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player, Willie Mays, is one of excellence and perseverance," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "We look forward to sharing the stories of the Negro Leagues throughout this event next year."
A World Series champion with the Giants in 1954, Mays was a 24-time All-Star, tied with Stan Musial for second most behind Hank Aaron's 25. Mays won the 1954 major league batting title and was voted NL MVP in 1954 and 1965.
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