BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Multi-Grammy Award-winning artist, Jon Batiste, performed at Major League Baseball's special tribute game honoring Willie Mays and the Negro Leagues Thursday night.
Hundreds gathered inside one of the oldest ballparks in the United States, Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, to pay homage, MLB said in a release. It's also the former home of the Negro League Birmingham Black Barons.
Batiste performed before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants. He expressed how honored he was to be a part of the tribute.
"Thank[s] to MLB for inviting me to celebrate the legacy of the late great Willie Mays and the original Leagues players at Rickwood Field," Batiste said on X. "When the living players joined us on the field before the National Anthem I felt the spirit of my grandparents."
The special tribute follows the death of Willie Mays, a Giants great and electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ who died at 93 on Tuesday.
Nearly 60 Negro Leagues players were honored.
MLB said the game marks "the largest official gathering of Negro Leagues players in nearly 30 years."
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