CNN —Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson said it was difficult to return to Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, for the Negro Leagues tribute game Thursday because of the onslaught of racism he experienced when he played there decades ago. The team played at Rickwood Field. Mays played for the Birmingham Black Barons, a Negro League baseball team that called Rickwood Field home until their last season in 1963. The game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals both paid tribute to the Negro Leagues and honored Mays’s legacy. Approximately 60 Negro League players were in attendance – marking the largest official gathering of the league’s players in nearly 30 years, according to the MLB.

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Persons: CNN — Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, Jackson, ” Jackson, “, ”, ’, ’ ”, Los Angeles Angels – Jackson, Mr, of Famer Willie Mays, Mays Organizations: CNN — Baseball Hall of Famer, Negro Leagues, Birmingham, Southern League, Rickwood, Fox, Yankees, CNN, of Fame, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, American League, MLB, of Famer, Birmingham Black Barons, Negro League baseball, San Francisco Giants, St, Louis Cardinals, Negro League, “ Locations: Birmingham , Alabama, New York