Winn said his stepfather taught him the history of the Negro Leagues and that he grew up playing for a travel team called the Negro League Legends. So on Thursday afternoon, there was Winn, a 22-year-old who understood both the magnitude of his entry onto that field and the responsibility of carrying on the legacy of those who played there before him.
“Obviously, this field is home to some of the greatest in the Negro Leagues,” Winn said before the game against the San Francisco Giants. “There’s not a lot of brothers in baseball, so I think it’s important – me and Jordan Walker have talked about it a lot – just to be an inspiration not only to the kids in St. Louis, but also from all over the world who are trying to get a little more color in baseball…They don’t know how much fun baseball can be.
The Cardinals won 6-5 and Winn went 1 for 3 with two runs scored, a walk and a double in the third inning that landed at the bottom of the left field scoreboard. He looked at the Cardinals bench and said, “Is it over?” as he arched his hand upwards. When the referee told him no, he smiled and said, “Damn!
Here in Birmingham, nestled between West 12th Street and West Second Avenue, sits one of the most prized relics of black baseball history – and baseball as a whole, for that matter. Rickwood Field, established in 1910, was home to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, then the Birmingham Barons, a Class AA minor league team. This week was a celebration of black baseball.
For years, black baseball was relegated to the periphery. The history of the Negro Leagues – its players, statistics, tradition and artifacts – has often been downplayed or overlooked.
That doesn’t mean no one paid attention. But in recent years, Major League Baseball has made more of an effort to highlight, recognize and appreciate this rich history. In May, statistics from the Negro Leagues were incorporated into the MLB record books. A month later, baseball converged on Rickwood Field.
This week was meant to honor former black players, some of whom were present at Thursday’s pregame festivities. Forty to 50 former players wearing matching gray jerseys and black pants were paraded or taken by members of the Cardinals and Giants.
Then there was a tribute to Alabama native Willie Mays, who died Tuesday afternoon at age 93. Mays began his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons. Before the game, a handful of black players gathered near Mays’ home plate, including Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds, Mays’ godson. A “24” was painted behind home plate.
Bonds and Griffey escorted Mays’ son, Michael, to home plate to deliver a message: “I told you if he could be here, he would.” He found another way. Let Him Hear You,” which led to a standing ovation and “Willie” chants. Bill Greason, one of Mays’ former teammates, threw out the first pitch.
For many players, the timing of Mays’ death gave them an opportunity to celebrate. But his death also reminded us of the state of Black baseball in 2024. As legends like Mays pass away, there are fewer and fewer examples of representation in the game.
On Opening Day, only 6% of MLB players were black. There were only three black players — Winn and outfielder Victor Scott II of the Cardinals and pitcher Jordan Hicks of the San Francisco Giants — on the active rosters for Thursday’s game.
“I never even thought there would be an opportunity to play this position and play on this field,” said Hicks, who threw in the field before the game. “The fact that it’s finally here, I think it should continue. I think this should be a tradition. Lots of history here. I’m just happy to be a part of it.
First baseman Lamonte Wade Jr., a former University of Maryland star and the Giants’ only black player, is on the injured list. But Wade wanted to play so badly that the Giants – who received a 27th player for the game – appealed to MLB to have Wade removed from the roster for the game. They were denied, but Wade pulled out the lineup card.
The hope was that this event could inspire the next generation. Crowds gathered to enjoy the festivities throughout the week. A bus like the ones the Birmingham Black Barons would have traveled in to a match was parked nearby. Across the street there were pillars and posters dedicated to former Negro Leaguers, as well as concession stands and a stage for performances.
But inside the stadium, the nostalgia remains. The speakers blared Billie Holiday, Ray Charles and Fats Domino. The pavilions beneath the stadium were preserved and included Negro League jerseys.
Two days before the game, a handful of giddy Birmingham kids stood near the visitors’ clubhouse, nearly toppling over as they tried to get onto the field. Steve Brown, who runs the AEB Legacy RBI League in Birmingham, could only smile and laugh.
Brown was born and raised in Birmingham. He remembers his first time at Rickwood Field, at age 10, watching Vida Blue as a minor leaguer. His first job was selling pizza there when he was in ninth grade. He saw his son play on the field in 2020. Seeing the renovated version of the field left him speechless.
Brown, like many Birmingham residents in attendance this week, said this event happened at just the right time. Brown believes this can get more kids involved in the game while revitalizing the community. Steven Green, pastor of More Than Conquerors Faith Church, echoed that sentiment.
“I think this moment is great. It’s nostalgic. It’s a time of reflection but also of restitution or reparation,” Green said. “To see Major League Baseball look back and say, ‘You know, maybe we missed a page or a chapter, but we want to pay it forward now and get it going again and put Birmingham in the spotlight,’ I think that’s is very inspiring for the next generation.
Major League Baseball continued its efforts Wednesday when its Youth Development Foundation presented to the Negro Leagues Family Alliance – a group of former players’ families whose mission is to preserve the history and legacy of leagues – a check for $500,000.
That same day, Sean Gibson – grandson of former slugger Josh Gibson – advocated for an annual Negro Leagues Day, May 2, to commemorate the leagues’ first game. And like Hicks, many fans who flocked to the park want this event to return to Birmingham, the same way the Little League Classic and international games have become an annual tradition. It remains to be seen what happens next to increase Black representation and participation in baseball, but this week in Birmingham could be a stepping stone to the future.
“It means so much to me that people are now starting to understand our history,” Sonya Pankey Robinson, granddaughter of Jackie Robinson, told the Washington Post. “We will be able to move it forward because the next generation will help us tell the story.” We just have to keep it going. »