Just days before Major League Baseball was set to honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues with a game at the legendary Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., Willie Mays died at the age of 93. Mays, who was born in Westfield, Ala., just minutes away from Rickwood Field, played his first professional home games there as a member of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League. Mays’ San Francisco Giants will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB game there tonight.
Mays was not set to be in attendance, with his final public statement saying he’d remain at home in California during the game.
With the passing of the “Say Hey Kid,” tributes poured in from across MLB, in addition to the sports world and beyond. More tributes are expected tonight as the Giants and Cardinals take the field in Birmingham. Stay with Yahoo Sports throughout the night for all of the reaction and tributes to the baseball icon.
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