Where is Rickwood Field? Location, capacity, dimensions, history and what to know

Perhaps more than any other sport, baseball is reliant on its history. Players of today share a link that runs through generations to the players of yesteryear, and Major League Baseball has taken great care in recent times to ensure that those who paved the way for today's players are recognized as much more than just a historical footnote.

A large part of MLB's focus on and appreciation of the past has centered on the Negro Leagues. It was just three weeks ago that Negro League stats became officially integrated into the MLB record books, and the move had its intended effect of setting the record straight on players whose accomplishments have deserved to be recognized for decades. Baseball will never be able to fully right the wrongs of its discriminatory past, but by educating fans on the greatness of players such as Josh Gibson, who is now officially MLB's all-time leader in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS, baseball can ensure that future generations give these players the respect they deserve.

As Negro Leagues expert and historian Larry Lester said in MLB's official announcement of the stat integration, “The Negro Leagues were a product of segregated America, created to give opportunity where opportunity did not exist. As Bart Giamatti, former Commissioner of Baseball, once said, ‘We must never lose sight of our history, insofar as it is ugly, never to repeat it, and insofar as it is glorious, to cherish it.’”

Major League Baseball has done more than just update its record books, however, and this week's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field is a celebration of the Negro Leagues that fans won't want to miss. What do fans need to know about this historic stadium?

Where is Rickwood Field?

Rickwood Field is located in Birmingham, Alabama. At the time of its construction, it was just the fifth concrete-and-steel ballpark built in the United States, but as of the demolition of Comiskey Park in 1991, it became, and is still, the oldest professional ballpark still standing in the country. It opened in 1910, two years before Fenway Park and four years before Wrigley Field, and has undergone extensive renovations in preparation for Thursday's game.

How many people are at the MLB at Rickwood Field game?

Two games are being played at Rickwood Field this week as part of MLB's tribute to the Negro Leagues. The first will take place on Tuesday, June 18 between the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits and Birmingham Barons. The second game will feature the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, June 20. The seating capacity for both games will be about 8,300.

What are the dimensions for Rickwood Field?

Like many ballparks from that era, Rickwood Field had a cavernous, asymmetrical design during its heyday. Negro League and minor league hitters had 470 feet to clear the left field wall and 500 feet to center, but just 335 feet to right. The dimensions now are more in line with what MLB hitters are accustomed to, with 321 feet to left, 399 feet to center, and 332 feet to right, but those dimensions have reportedly been lengthened by about ten feet across the board for the MLB game.

Has MLB ever played at Rickwood Field before?

Thursday's game between the Cardinals and Giants will be the first regular season MLB game ever played at Rickwood Field, though the field did host multiple MLB preseason games up until the 1960s. The Philadelphia Phillies called Rickwood Field home in 1911, while the Pittsburgh Pirates did the same in 1919.

Many Major Leaguers did play games at Rickwood Field at some point in their careers, most famously Willie Mays, who was a member of the Negro League's Birmingham Black Barons as a teenager. According to MLB, of the 351 members who have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, 181 have played, managed, umpired or led a baseball team at Rickwood Field since its opening in 1910.

The Birmingham Barons have returned to Rickwood Field once a year since 1996 for the "Rickwood Classic," a turn-back-the-clock game that honors the field's rich history and the players that have played there.

Which teams played have historically played at Rickwood Field?

When Rickwood Field opened in 1910, the Birmingham Barons were the park's primary tenants, and the minor league team would call the park home until 1987 when they moved to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

Beginning in 1921, the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro League also called the field home, in a unique dual-occupancy situation that saw them play home games when the Birmingham Barons were on the road. This arrangement lasted for 40 years and saw the stadium host the Negro League World Series three times,

Rickwood Field has primarily been home to Birmingham-area high school games in recent years, and the park also hosted the Savannah Bananas in 2022 and 2023.

Miles College, a Division II school, will play home games at the refurbished ballpark beginning in 2025.