Cardinals & Giants Pay Tribute to Negro Leagues with Throwback Uniforms at Rickwood Field Next Week

The special throwback uniforms for the Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball games at Rickwood Field next week have been unveiled.

The Major League game, officially known as “MLB at Rickwood Field,” will be played on June 20th. The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will wear uniforms in tribute to the “San Francisco Sea Lions” and the “St. Louis Stars,” respectively.

Starting with the San Francisco Giants “Sea Lions” throwback uniforms, which feature a bear emblem rather than a sea lion due to the original Sea Lions team using recycled uniforms from an old semi-pro club called the San Francisco Cubs. It’s a cream-coloured uniform with navy blue and orange piping down the front, sleeves, and around each cuff. Across the chest is SAN FRANCISCO, arched in navy blue lettering with a large navy and orange cub patch below it—just a player number on the back, no name, in navy blue lettering. The cap is navy blue with the same bear patch on the front in blue and orange, and the button and visor are also navy blue.

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The San Francisco Sea Lions were a Negro League baseball team in the West Coast Negro Baseball League based in San Francisco, California, in 1946. Toni Stone, the first female baseball player in the Negro Leagues, began her professional career with the Sea Lions in 1949. This will be the fifth time the Giants have worn Sea Lions throwback uniforms, having done so in 2014 and again each season from 2021-23.

The St. Louis Cardinals will wear St. Louis Stars uniforms, honouring a team that won three championships as part of the Negro National League from 1922 to 1931. The uniform is grey with ST LOUIS arched across the front in navy blue lettering with red trim. Navy blue piping goes down the front of the jersey before meeting at a point around the waist, and a single navy blue stripe is present on each sleeve. On the back, the player number is navy blue with red trim, matching the team name on the front—no player name. The cap is navy blue with STL across the front in white.

Several Hall of Famers suited up for the Stars, including Cool Papa Bell, Mule Suttles, and Willie Wells. The uniforms will feature the classic “St. Louis” lettering, celebrating the team’s significant contributions to baseball history.

The Minor League game, “MiLB at Rickwood Field,” on June 18th, will feature the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits. The Barons will play wearing the uniforms of the Birmingham Black Barons, while the Biscuits will take the field as the Montgomery Gray Sox.

The Birmingham Black Barons and Montgomery Gray Sox unis have been unveiled for MiLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues (June 18)!

Learn about the historic teams the Barons and Biscuits will be honoring: https://t.co/pyoxmxrilL pic.twitter.com/E3zTPLVfKc
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 12, 2024

The Birmingham Barons throwback Black Barons’ uniforms are a tribute to the club who originally played in the Negro Southern League and the Negro American League from 1920 to 1960. The jersey is cream with BIRMINGHAM arched across the front in red and black with black piping down either side of the buttons. A patch on the left sleeve shows the club’s initials, “BBB,” in red within a red and black rectangle. The player number is on the back in red with black trim. Notable players for the Black Barons included Hall of Famers like Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, and Bill Foster.

The Montgomery Biscuits uniform, a throwback to the Gray Sox, is grey with the team name “GRAY SOX” arched across the chest in black, and the player number on the back is in single-colour black. No sleeve decoration or striping is present on this jersey. The Montgomery Gray Sox were a Negro Southern League team based in Montgomery, Alabama, founded in 1920. The Gray Sox were managed by Henry Hannon, who also played multiple positions during the first season. Notable players included Henry Hannon, Walter Goines, Earl Gurley, “Steel Arm” Dickey, and Johnny Washington.

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Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States, opening in 1910. This historic venue was home to both the Birmingham Barons, a Minor League team, and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. Since 1992, the Friends of Rickwood have worked to preserve and restore the park, maintaining its historic features.