Willie Mays passed away at the age of ninety-three, just days before Major League Baseball was scheduled to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues’ history with a game at the storied Rickwood Field in
Birmingham, Alabama. Born in Westfield, Alabama, a short distance from Rickwood Field, Mays attended his first professional home games there in 1948 while playing for the Negro American League’s Birmingham
Black Barons. In the opening MLB regular-season game at Rickwood Field on Thursday, the San Francisco Giants, led by Mays, faced the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals prevailed with a score of 6–5.
In his last public comment, Mays stated that he would stay at home in California during the game, thus it appeared that he would not be present on Thursday. Tributes to the “Say Hey Kid,” who passed
away last week, came in from all throughout MLB, the sports world, and beyond. As the Giants and Cardinals hit the field in Birmingham on Thursday, more tributes came in. Yahoo Sports kept up with comments and homages to the baseball star during the game and the evening.
MLB made a great effort to give the game and its venue the respect they deserved. After former Negro League players joined the Giants and Cardinals players on the field, Bill Greason, the oldest living Negro League player at 99 years old, threw out the opening pitch.
