ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - June 20 is shaping up to be a big day for the baseball world as the sports return to Rickwood Field, a longtime site for Negro Leagues Baseball games in Birmingham, Alabama.
The St. Louis Cardinals will be on the lucky teams to play at the field in June, playing a game with the San Francisco Giants.
MLB released a video on all their social media channels Tuesday, with former National League MVP with the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis-native Ryan Howard, who is currently a part of the Commissioner’s Ambassador Program, inviting former Negro League baseball players who still live in Birmingham to attend the game.
Among the six players he helps invite to the game include Ferdinand 'Chico' Rutledge, Joseph Marbury, Al Holt, and Ernest 'Oink' Harris.
“It’s very surreal,” Howard said in a release on MLB's website. “You know about the history of it, you’ve heard about it, but to actually be able to talk to people who experienced it, that lived it … having them bring these stories back to life, it’s something that’s extremely special. It’s an absolute honor to be able to meet these gentlemen and present them with their invitations.”
Among the gifts he presented to the former players along with an invitation to the game included a letter signed by Commissioner Rob Manfred, a set of postcards and a poster commemorating the June 20 MLB at Rickwood Field event: “A Tribute to the Negro Leagues.”
"What it an absolute honor for me to be able to hand give these invites to these gentlemen who helped pave the way for me and other former and current black baseball players, it's truly an honor." said Howard in the video.