NASHVILLE -- The National Baseball Hall of Fame is reviving the Negro Leagues' East-West All-Star Game, at least for 2024.
The announcement came Tuesday as officials unveiled additional details about a new exhibit spotlighting the history of Black baseball.
The contest will take place on Memorial Day at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown. Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Ozzie Smith will manage the respective teams, while All-Star pitcher C.C. Sabathia and outfielder Chris Young will serve as captains.
"My career ended with me ripping my shoulder up and not being able to throw a baseball anymore, but I'm rehabbing myself to be able to come back to pitch an inning in this game," Sabathia said with a smile. "I'm super excited to get out there and put on a good show with my friends who will really appreciate this."
Additional participants include former Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard, Adam Jones, Josh Barfield, Curtis Granderson, Ian Desmond, Dontrelle Willis, Prince Fielder, Justin and B.J. Upton, Tony Gwynn Jr., and many more.
"More players are being added every day," said Hall of Fame president Josh Rawitch.
The East-West Classic was Negro League Baseball's answer to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. The tradition began in 1933 and continued until the fall of the Negro Leagues in 1962.
The Souls of the Game: Voice of Black Baseball exhibit explores the Black baseball experience, chronicling the decades-long history of Black baseball before the formation of the Negro Leagues, through the complexities of re-integration, to the challenges that remain today.
The exhibit will feature historical artifacts, documents and photographs and use audio, video, and interactive elements to tell a more inclusive story of baseball while correcting misconceptions about the history of Black baseball.
"The stories have been told, and we think we know the stories — but the more we dig into the stories, we find out there’s something that hasn’t been told," said former A's great Dave Stewart, who now serves as a member of the Hall of Fame's advisory committee.
"When this exhibit happens, I can’t even say that we’ll know the whole story, but we’ll know more in the replay than we did in the original.”
Rawitch said broadcasting details still need to be finalized.
Sabathia wore a Kansas City Monarchs jersey during the press conference, while Barfield wore a jersey representing the Homestead Grays. Rawitch said approximately eight Negro League teams will have their uniforms worn in the game, with the Philadelphia Stars as a possibility.
Tickets can be purchased through the Hall of Fame's Website.
