BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Major League Baseball has confirmed the St. Louis Cardinals will play the San Francisco Giants at America’s oldest professional ballpark next season.

The Cardinals and Giants are set for a game at Rickwood Field, the former home of the Negro League’s Birmingham Black Barons. The Alabama ballpark has hosted baseball games since 1910 and was home to the Barons from 1924 to 1960.

MLB officials say the game will be planned one year from Tuesday on June 20, 2024. It will follow Juneteenth and include a variety of activities that connects baseball with the observance.

Among the activities, there will be a tribute to the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player Willie Mays, who spent a few seasons with the Birmingham Barons before the Giants gave him an opportunity at the MLB level.

“We are proud to bring Major League Baseball to historic Rickwood Field in 2024,” said Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. “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.”

“I can’t believe it. I never thought I’d see in my lifetime a Major League Baseball game being played on the very field where I played baseball as a teenager. It has been 75 years since I played for the Birmingham Black Barons at Rickwood Field, and to learn that my Giants and the Cardinals will play a game there and honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues and all those who came before them is really emotional for me. We can’t forget what got us here and that was the Negro Leagues for so many of us,” said Willie Mays.

“Preserving the legacy of the Negro Leagues is vital to growing baseball’s diversity and popularity,” said MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark. “Willie Mays, like so many other Negro Leaguers, broke down barriers and paved the way for those of us who dreamt of playing baseball at the highest level. This event helps to link the past, present and future and helps further the cause of attracting a new generation of players to our game.’’

Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported the matchup would be a “Field of Dreams” contest, though it appears Major League Baseball will brand this matchup some other way.

The game will be broadcast as part of MLB on FOX’s coverage on June 20, 2024 at 7 p.m. The Cardinals will serve as the hos team for the game.