ST. LOUIS – Wednesday marks Juneteenth as well as the eve of a historic baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.
The day comes as the world mourns the news that baseball legend Willie Mays passed away Tuesday at 93.
Alvin Reid at the St. Louis American, also the only African-American newspaper in St. Louis, was updating the website Wednesday to the latest issue, acknowledging Mays and his impact.
“Just the way he played. He could hit, he could run, he could steal bases, great defenses. I mean, 24 All-Star games; who does that?” Reid said. “Just a great player and I did get to meet the man a few times… just a gentleman all the way around. Class act and just a tremendous baseball player.”
Mays got his start at Rickwood Field with the Birmingham Black Barons team in the Negro League. His legacy spread nationwide, including St. Louis.
“I consider him the greatest baseball player of all time,” Earl Austin Jr., sports editor at St. Louis American, said.
The “Say Hey Kid” will be remembered at the Rickwood Field game. He is number 24 with the Giants, but number one in many baseball fan’s hearts.
“If the baseball came anywhere near him, you knew Willie Mays was going to catch it,” Reid said.