Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List
Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List
+

MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 6/21/2024

MLB's historic game at Rickwood Field honors Negro Leagues and Mays.

Christian Otteman
MLB Morning News 6/21/2024

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

MLB’s Game at Rickwood Honors Negro League History

 

Highlighting Thursday’s action was MLB’s game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Rickwood Field is the oldest professional park in the country and was the home field of the Birmingham Barons and Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.

The timing of Thursday’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants couldn’t have come at a better time following the passing of Giants legend and baseball icon Willie Mays. The baseball world missed Mays greatly at this event, but his presence was felt throughout the festivities by players, fans, and viewers alike.

 

 

The game itself was an exciting one, as the Cardinals opened up the scoring in the first with a Nolan Gorman sacrifice fly and Brendan Donovan home run. Heliot Ramos answered in a big way in the top of the second:

 

 

Through some back-and-forth action the rest of the night, the Cardinals would take this game by a final score of 6-5. It was a fantastic game and a great way to honor the legacies of the Negro Leagues and its most prominent ambassadors, whether they’re still here with us today or not. Here’s hoping we get more games at this historic field in the future so we can continue to learn more about this critical side of baseball history.

 

O’s Prove to be Yanks’ Achilles Gil

 

Luis Gil came into the day sporting a pristine 2.03 ERA, the best mark in the American League. The youngster is having a tremendous season for the New York Yankees and faced a tall task on Thursday afternoon in a showdown with the division rival Baltimore Orioles. After tacking on one run in the first, the O’s broke the game wide open in the second inning. Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle contributed the biggest blows with a two-run homer and bases-clearing double, respectively.

 

 

Gil would exit the game after recording only four outs and allowing seven runs, raising his season ERA to 2.77. The Orioles would continue to pour it on and take the rubber match of the series 17-5.

 

Thursday Theatrics at Target Field

 

Facing a four-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth, the Minnesota Twins refused to go quietly against the Tampa Bay Rays. After a Carlos Santana solo shot and a few more baserunners, Jose Miranda was down to his final strike as the Twins’ last hope. He delivered in a big way:

 

 

The four-run comeback would send the game to extra innings. The Rays would take a one-run lead in the top half, but the big highlight for Tampa Bay came on the defensive side in the form of Jose Siri’s arm:

 

 

The one run was enough for the Rays to take the rubber match by a final score of 7-6. Tampa Bay will head to Pittsburgh for a weekend series with the Pirates while the Twins take on the Athletics in Oakland.

 

Cronenworth Walks it off for Padres

 

The Rickwood Field game wasn’t the final game of the night, as the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres were still duking things out on the West Coast late into the night. This game turned out to be a slugfest, especially for the home team, with back-to-back home runs by Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill early in the game as well as this moon shot from Fernando Tatis Jr.:

 

 

The biggest blast of the night, however, came from Jake Cronenworth. With two outs and a full count in the bottom of the ninth, he took Joel Payamps deep to right field to send everybody home:

 

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Honoring the Say Hey Kid

 

On Wednesday, teams across the league took a moment of silence to honor the great Willie Mays following his passing.

 

 

He’s the McMahon

 

One player having an under-the-radar season is the Rockies’ Ryan McMahon. He showed why he’s deserving of All-Star votes on Friday by first doing his best impression of Nolan Arenado at third…

 

 

…and then later hitting a baseball a country mile to right-center field:

 

 

Memories at Rickwood

 

There were plenty of great moments from Thursday’s game at Rickwood Field aside from the main event. Here are just a few other highlights and moments from a historic day in Birmingham:

 

 

There are quite literally dozens of interviews, moments, and videos from this game and everything leading up to it worth checking out. I encourage you to do a deep dive into this game or find a way to rewatch it if you can.

 

Merrill Matches Mays

 

On Thursday, Jackson Merrill accomplished a feat only done by one other man in baseball history–Willie Mays. It’s doubtful Merrill knew the importance of this home run, but it’s great to see Mays’ legacy alive in so many ways across the game this week.

 

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Brewers SP Robert Gasser is set to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss around 12 months as he recovers. It’s a big blow for the youngster who showed promise in his first round in the major leagues.

⚾ Cardinals recalled OF Victor Scott II to the major league roster.

⚾ Yankees signed veteran free agent pitcher Tim Scott to a deal and designated RP Clayton Andrews for assignment in a corresponding move.

⚾ After dealing with back tightness in his last start, Marlins SP Jesús Luzardo seems go to go for a start Saturday against the Mariners.

⚾ Yankees 2B Gleyber Torres is day-to-day after suffering a groin injury in Thursday’s game.

⚾ Nationals SS CJ Abrams is day-to-day with a ganglion cyst in his left wrist.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Rickwood Field Road Trip–Part 1 — Sam Dykstra, MiLB.com

Reggie Jackson Shares Stark Stories of Racism — C. Trent Rosecrans, The Athletic

The wonderful life of Bill Greason, friend of Mays and first Black Cards pitcher — Betelhem Ashame, MLB.com

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Reliever Ranks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

Christian Otteman

Christian Otteman is a hopelessly optimistic Cubs fan living in Milwaukee just looking to share his love of this beautiful game with others. He is especially a fan of the wild and weird things that only a game like baseball can produce. While he's not watching baseball, Christian is playing golf, hosting trivia, and working on his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Marquette University.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Account / Login