Montgomery Biscuits At Rickwood 2006 — Montgomery Biscuits players sit on the dugout during a previous Rickwood Classic. (Montgomery Biscuits)

The eyes of the baseball world will be on Birmingham next week but for some, the history of the city of Montgomery’s role in America’s pastime may be forgotten.

The Montgomery Biscuits just turned 20 years old this year but the city’s baseball history dates back much further than that including multiple minor league baseball teams. Now, the team will get to play at Rickwood Field as a part of a tribute to the Negro Leagues.

Who: Birmingham Black Barons vs. Montgomery Grey Sox
Where: Rickwood Field, 1137 2nd Ave W, Birmingham, AL 35204
When: Gates: 3PM | First pitch: 6:15PM, Tuesday, June 18
Watch: MLB Network
Tickets | More info

“It’s a complete honor. Our players, we sat down with them and told them the significance of playing at this ballpark. We told them about the history, and the players that have come through there. Today’s players, you really have to make sure they understand what they’re walking into.”
~ Montgomery Biscuits manager Kevin Boles

Keep reading to find out more about Montgomery’s Negro League team + their role in next week’s game in Birmingham.

Montgomery at Rickwood Field

18Cf3665 12Ae 4Cee Ae01 1Fe493991D42 — “Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama Historical Marker” by fables98 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The City of Montgomery was represented during the very first game at Rickwood Field when the Birmingham Barons played against the Montgomery Climbers in 1910.

However, there was also a Montgomery team that spent many years in the Negro Leagues including one in the Negro Southern League in 1932, when it was considered a major league.

The Montgomery Grey Sox made several stops at Rickwood Field, playing against the Birmingham Black Barons. A doubleheader between the two teams in 1919 reportedly drew more than 15,000 people to the ballpark.

Those two teams will meet at the same stadium again, over a century later.

“I can’t wait to see it. I’ve seen the older photos (of Rickwood Field) and the transformation. Now, what MLB has done with it, it’s exciting… And wait until people see these uniforms, I can’t give too much details, but I can just say they are pretty special.”
~ Biscuits manager Kevin Boles

Boles said the team has already had talks about how special being a part of this game will be for the players and the entire organization.

“These guys are on TV every day but this is a different animal, there’s no doubt about it. MLB Network is going to have the game… to represent these two towns, with Birmingham and Montgomery, and with MLB involved, you know it’s going to be pretty special.”
~ Biscuits manager Kevin Boles

The game will just be the beginning of a week filled with events at Rickwood Field including the Barnstorm Birmingham event + an MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.

Biscuits vs. Barons

4D2278E3 31B5 4F2E 8A0D E6Ce57512B8B — “Barons and Biscuits | Nikon V1 + FT1/70-300mm or 10-30mm” by kentonlrussell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

While the experience may be remembered for a lifetime, the game itself will still just count as one game in the Southern League standings. And that’s a big deal for two teams trying to clinch the first half title and a spot in the playoffs later this month.

“It’s both. You’re still competitive. These guys are competitive for a living. It’s a special place but we’re trying to develop these guys to be big leaguers and I don’t think that gets shut off. I think seeing what this field and the history behind it and all of the players that were developed on this field, I think it will be a terrific deal.”
~ Biscuits manager Kevin Boles

Are you going to the minor league game at Rickwood next week? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.