Rickwood Field Crowd Paid Tribute to Willie Mays During Minor League Game

A long standing ovation was held after news of the baseball great's passing.

Rickwood Field crowd, courtesy of the MLB X account. /

On Tuesday night, baseball legend Willie Mays died at the age of 93. The tributes have poured in for the Hall of Famer since the news of his passing, but perhaps none were more fitting than a standing ovation at Rickwood Field.

As part of Major League Baseball's honoring of Rickwood Field this week, a minor league game was held on Tuesday evening between the Double-A affiliates of the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. The White Sox side donned Birmingham Barons uniforms in honor of the team that called Rickwood Field home for a season, and the Rays the uniforms of the Montgomery Gray Sox.

News of Mays's death broke in the midst of Montgomery's 6-5 win. An announcement was made over the PA that also paid tribute to the baseball great's life, leading to a resounding ovation from the crowd that lasted nearly a full minute.

An in-game tribute to Willie Mays at the MiLB at Rickwood game. 🧡🖤 pic.twitter.com/roKgNF3gQd

— MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2024

A special moment to occur at Rickwood Field, where Mays spent the 1948 season as a member of the Barons.

Mays was a 24-time All-Star and Hall of Famer, universally viewed as one of the true giants of baseball lore. Tributes will continue to pour in, especially on Thursday, when the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will play an MLB game on the Rickwood Field diamond.