Explaining History of Rickwood Field & Why MLB is Hosting Cardinals-Giants Game There

Let's take a look at the history behind America's oldest ballpark.

An old photo of Rickwood Field, courtesy of the official Rickwood Field X account (@rickwoodfield) /

Baseball fans will be taking a trip back in time when the St. Louis Cardinals meet the San Francisco Giants on the diamond of America's oldest ballpark, Rickwood Field, for the 2024 MLB at Rickwood Field game on Thursday, June 20 in Birmingham, Al.

The Birmingham Black Barons, one of the most famous Negro League teams in baseball history, and collectively hundreds of Hall of Famers stepped foot on the Rickwood Field diamond over the course of the ballpark's rich, 114-year history.

Before the Cardinals and Giants take the field on Thursday night, let's take a look at the history of Rickwood Field and why MLB is playing a game there.

History of Rickwood Field

The brainchild of Alabama industrialist Rick Woodward, the 5,000-seat Rickwood Field was built in the spring of 1910 for $75,000 (approximately just under $2.5 million in 2024 dollars accounting for inflation). Its doors first opened to the public on August 18, 1910 for a game between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Climbers.

According to the Rickwood Field website, the Birmingham Black Barons first formed around 1920, upon which they entered into an agreement with Woodward to rent the field when the Woodward-owned Barons were on the road.

From that point on, Rickwood Field (also the first minor league ballpark to be built with concrete and steel) hosted some of America's greatest and most famous baseball players, such as Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks, each of whom began their professional careers in the Negro Leagues.

Additionally, the likes of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby were three of many traveling major leaguers to play exhibitions at Rickwood. Jackie Robinson, who broke MLB's color barrier in 1947, played exhibitions at Rickwood while he was a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Even former Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson took the field at Rickwood while he was a member of the Athletics' Double-A affiliate, the Kansas City Athletics.

Over the years, Rickwood Field has underwent plenty of renovations, such as expanded seating to accommodate crowd overflow and a new scoreboard in the 1920s. Night baseball beckoned in the 1930s and Rickwood Field became the first minor league ballpark with lights.

The ballpark has also made the big screen, as it has been featured in the 1994 film Cobb, the 1995 HBO movie Soul of the Game, and, most recently, the 2013 film 42.

For the past six months, Rickwood Field has been closed to the public as it has undergone renovations for the MLB at Rickwood Field game to comply with league requirements. The renovations, which cost about $5 million, include a padded outfield wall, slightly bigger dimensions in the outfield, new dugouts, protective netting on the foul lines and upgraded—and ADA-compliant—seating. Ticketed-seating capacity for the game is expected to be about 8,300.

Why is MLB Playing a Game at Rickwood Field?

MLB in June of 2023 announced plans for the Cardinals and Giants to play at Rickwood Field as part of a tribute to the Negro Leagues.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said the following in a statement made at the time of the plan's release.

"We are proud to bring Major League Baseball to historic Rickwood Field in 2024," Manfred said. "This opportunity to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues as the Giants and Cardinals play a regular season game at this iconic location is a great honor. The legacy of the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player, Willie Mays, is one of excellence and perseverance. We look forward to sharing the stories of the Negro Leagues throughout this event next year."

Mays, who had recently spoken about the game at Rickwood Field, sadly passed away at the age of 93 on Tuesday, June 18.

The Giants and Cardinals will wear throwback uniforms honoring teams from the Negro Leagues, with the Giants wearing modern redesigns of the San Francisco Sea Lions uniforms and the Cardinals donning redesigns of the St. Louis Stars' threads.

The Giants and Cardinals will be wearing Negro League throwback uniforms for the MLB at Rickwood Field game

The threads will serve as a tribute to the San Francisco Sea Lions and St. Louis Stars Negro Leagues teams pic.twitter.com/Om8PL1evIK

— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2024

The Giants' Keaton Winn (3-7, 6.66 ERA) and the Cardinals' Andre Pallante (2-3, 4.61 ERA) are the MLB at Rickwood Field game's probable starters. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. ET and the game will be televised nationally on Fox.