On Friday — Juneteenth — baseball returns to the oldest ballpark in America for its most meaningful annual tradition. The third edition of the East-West Classic, a tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Games played from 1933 to 1962, takes over historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, with a roster of former Major League stars led by captains CC Sabathia and Chris Young.
How To Watch & Schedule
Date: Friday, June 19 (Juneteenth)
Venue: Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Ala.
Gates: 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET)
Home Run Derby: 12 p.m. CT (1 p.m. ET)
East vs. West game: 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) — five innings or two hours, whichever comes first
In person: General admission $12 at mlb.com/rickwood
TV/stream: MLB Network is the event’s broadcast home, with coverage, highlights, and an “East-West Classic: All Access” special to follow on June 27. You can also stream the programming on MLB.com or the MLB App. Confirm the exact live window on your MLB Network listings, as start times can differ from first pitch.
One note if you’re heading to Birmingham: a band of tropical moisture is forecast to move through Alabama on Friday, raising the chance of heavy rain. As of the latest local reporting the event remains on as scheduled, but keep an eye on the forecast.
The Rosters
The 2026 field spans 276 Major League seasons and includes eight World Series titles, a Cy Young Award, and 49 All-Star nods. Sabathia — a 2025 Hall of Fame inductee — captains the West, backed by the likes of Prince Fielder, Matt Kemp, Mike Cameron, Scott Kazmir, Dellin Betances, and José Contreras, with Jesse Barfield managing. Young, the MLB Network analyst, captains an East squad featuring Gary Sheffield, Justin Upton, Dee Strange-Gordon, Pedro Alvarez, and Edwin Jackson, managed by Jerry Hairston Sr. The Home Run Derby kicks things off at noon CT, with Fielder — last year’s winner — among the sluggers taking cuts.
Fans enter the historic ballpark before the East West Classic baseball game at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Fans enter the historic ballpark before the East West Classic baseball game at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Team West’s Prince Fielder reacts after wining the Home Run Derby before the East West Classic baseball game at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Team East’s Ryan Howard sits in the dugout before the East West Classic baseball game at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Team West pitcher Scott Kazmir throws during the second inning of the East West Classic baseball game at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Team West pitcher Jose Contreras throws during the fifth inning of the East West Classic baseball game at Rickwood Field, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Why Rickwood, and Why Juneteenth
No venue could fit this better. Rickwood Field opened in 1910 and is the oldest professional ballpark in the United States. It was home to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues from 1924 to 1960 — the team a teenage Willie Mays joined in 1948, beginning his professional career on this very field before he became the Say Hey Kid. Rickwood also hosted the final Negro League World Series game in 1948.
The East-West All-Star Game it honors debuted in 1933 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park and ran through 1962, showcasing legends like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Jackie Robinson at a time when the color line kept them out of the Major Leagues. Pairing that legacy with Juneteenth — the celebration of emancipation — turns the day into something larger than an exhibition: a celebration of Black freedom, Black excellence, and the players and communities who shaped the game despite being shut out of it. MLB is marking the day in the community as well, with a Juneteenth Play Ball event at the newly rededicated Willie Mays Park in nearby Fairfield, the Hall of Famer’s hometown.
All times listed as noted.
