Former Negro League stars returned to Rickwood Field, the home of the late Willie Mays‘ professional baseball debut, on Thursday night to celebrate the history of the Black legends of the game.
Reggie Jackson missed the Negro League era, but he did play minor league baseball at the legendary Birmingham, Alabama, field.
Jackson suited up for the Birmingham Black Barons, which were a minor league affiliate of the then Kansas City Athletics. And although it was after segregation ended, racism in the area had not.
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Reggie Jackson addresses the crowd during a pregame ceremony introducing the first members of the Oakland Athletics Hall of Fame prior to the game between the Athletics and the New York Yankees on September 5, 2018, in Oakland, California. (Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
When speaking with the MLB on FOX team ahead of the Giants-Cardinals game at Rickwood, Jackson said it was “not easy” to return to the field.
“The racism when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled … I wouldn’t wish it on anybody,” Jackson began before sharing his harsh reality.
“I would walk into restaurants, they would point at me and say ‘that n—– can’t eat here.’ I would go to a hotel, and they’d say ‘that n—– can’t stay here.’ We went to [former A’s owner] Charlie Finley’s country club for a welcome-home dinner, and they pointed me out with the n-word, ‘he can’t come in here …’
Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson takes the stage during the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 21, 2019, in Cooperstown, New York. (Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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“Had it not been for Rollie Fingers, Johnny McNamara, Dave Duncan, Joe and Sharron Rudy, I slept on their couch three or four nights a week for about a month and a half. Finally, they threatened to burn our apartment complex down unless I got out. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”
Jackson went on to hit 563 home runs in his eventual Hall of Fame career, aptly earning the name “Mr. October” thanks to his performance in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series when he hit three home runs in the Yankees’ title-clincher against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Reggie Jackson carries out the World Series trophy during a ceremony honoring the 50-year reunion of the 1973 World Series champion Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on April 16, 2023, in Oakland, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Willie Mays’ son, Michael, addressed the crowd before the game, asking them to make as much noise as they could so that his father could hear. Willie, an original Black Baron, died Tuesday at age 93.
The game can be viewed on FOX.
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