MLB remembers Willie Mays as baseball great is honored before historic first ever game at Rickwood Field after death at 93

Willie Mays was remembered Thursday evening at his old stomping ground as the baseball great was honored at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mays, who started his professional career with Rickwood at the Birmingham Black Barons, died this week at the age of 93.

And although MLB had already scheduled the Tribute to the Negro Leagues game before Mays’ death, the meeting between the Giants and Cardinals took on more significance as news of the icon’s death spread.

Before the game, Mays’ number 24 was painted behind home plate, while the crowd also rose to give him a standing ovation before the game.

His son, Michael, addressed the crowd and referenced his father’s disappointment in not being well enough to travel to the game before his death.

The field was painted with Mays’ No. 24 in honor of the legendary baseball player

Mays was nicknamed ‘The Say Hey Kid’ because of his cheerful demeanor and positive spirit

“Birmingham, I told you all that if there was any chance that my father could come here, he would,” he said. “Well, he found another way.”

A memorial to Mays stood at the front of the ballpark, with bobbleheads, a signed glove and his Black Barons and San Francisco Giants jerseys on display.

The stadium was decorated with photos and artifacts of baseball Hall of Famers who played on the 114-year-old site, including Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige.

Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, who spent time in Rickwood with the Birmingham A’s in Double-A baseball, was also in attendance and talked about what it was like to return.

“Coming back here is not easy,” he said on the radio FOX broadcast. ‘The racism I played [under] here…

Mays’ son Michael (center) addressed the crowd before the game in Birmingham, Alabama

Eddie Torres, right, and son Junior, from California and wearing San Francisco Giants uniforms with Willie Mays’ number 24 on the back

Rickwood Field in Birmingham is 114 years old and played a crucial role in the Negro Leagues

‘Luckily I had a manager and players in the team who helped me through it. But I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.’

The original clubhouse of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, where Mays got his professional start in 1948, was open Thursday.

MLB also took advantage of this opportunity by appointing an all-black umpiring crew for the first time in the league’s history.

In its storied history, Rickwood – which opened in 1910 – has hosted 181 of its 351 total Hall of Famers, per CBS Sports.

The San Francisco Giants legend is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player ever

Rickwood Field also featured tributes to players like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and more

The Negro Leagues were founded because black players were not allowed into Major League Baseball, with the Negro National League in particular being founded in 1920.

And Rickwood played a crucial role in the league as the Black Barons shared the ballpark with the all-white Birmingham Barons for forty years.

MLB released a statement from commissioner Rob Manfred after Mays’ death, saying, “His incredible achievements and statistics do not begin to describe the awe that came with watching Willie Mays dominate the game in every way imaginable.” We will never forget this true Giant, both on and off the field.’

No cause of death was given for Mays, 93, baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer.