The Giants and St. Louis Cardinals are set for a historic matchup next season.
When San Francisco plays St. Louis in 2024, one of their games will take place at a venue with historic ties to Giants legend Willie Mays. MLB announced the news Tuesday, confirming a game will be held June 20, 2024 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. — former home of the Birmingham Black Barons, who Mays played for in the Negro Leagues from 1948 to 1950.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser first reported news of the exciting Cardinals-Giants clash last week, referring to the contest as the Field of Dreams game.
MLB’s first two Field of Dreams games were held in 2021 and 2022, inspired by the 1989 baseball film “Field of Dreams” and held in Dyersville, Iowa, on a specially built field next to the site of the movie set.
After two successful games between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, respectively, there unfortunately won’t be a Field of Dreams game this season due to an $80 million development project underway at the location.
But Giants fans might want to start planning a trip to Alabama in the meantime.
It’s incredibly meaningful that the Giants will play at Rickwood Field next season — a fitting homage to the legendary 92-year-old Mays, whose contract was purchased by the New York Giants in 1950 just two years after he and the Barons appeared in the final Negro League World Series.
And while the Giants and Cardinals have had many matchups over the years, their 2024 showcase could end up being the most memorable.
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