The baseball game played at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown on Saturday was only an exhibition contest. But you’d be hard-pressed to find one that held more meaning.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum hosted the Hall of Fame East-West Classic as part of its Memorial Day Weekend series of events honoring the history and legacy of Black Baseball.
Former big leaguers took the field while a slew of Hall of Famers watched on from the dugout in front of a full house on a picture perfect afternoon.
The game was held in conjunction with the opening of the museum’s new exhibit The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball which pays tribute to the pioneers of Black baseball and everyone who followed in their footsteps. Many of those were in Cooperstown on Saturday to take it all in, including Ken Griffey Jr.
“It’s exciting. A lot of work went into this, day in and day out,” the Hall of Famer said. “It’s an opportunity for the guys who played the game to show the next generation you can still go out there and play against all obstacles. Because these guys did it, you can do it.”
Ozzie Smith is another Hall of Famer who has returned to Cooperstown many times over the years. But he said Saturday’s game honoring the Negro Leagues was one of the most special events he’s attended.
“It’s nice when a plan comes together,” Smith said. “It’s a concept and an idea that I think is desperately needed at this point in time. To talk about the legacy of Black baseball… it’s a big part of the Hall of Fame, the story of the Hall of Fame.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of events here at the Hall of Fame and this is probably the most exciting one because it deals with the real history of the game and the Black players’ part in the success of the game.”
The scene before the game might have been more compelling than anything that happened on the field, a social gathering straight out of a baseball fan’s dreams.
Dave Winfield chatted up Negro Leagues legends Pedro Sierra and Sam Allen. Joe Torre held court in the first base dugout. Players “critiqued” each others’ swings in the batting cage.
Once known for his majestic home runs and incredible catches in the outfield, Griffey has now earned a reputation as a photographer and he certainly had plenty of interesting things to focus his lens on Saturday.
“I get to stop them from lying 20 years from now, because I can say I captured it,” he said of his fellow legends.
Players and coaches alike were dressed for the occasion, sporting replica uniforms of classic Negro Leagues teams. The authenticity was apparent right down to the material.
“This is all wool,” Smith said. “I can only imagine what it was like, especially in a place like St. Louis. In the summertime, you can only imagine how hot it was. Those guys did it because they loved it and I think as we go forward here today I think most of the guys that are here are guys that truly love the game.”
Before the game six players competed in a home run derby. Prince Fielder in particular hit some majestic shots but in the end lost to Adam Jones in a swing off.
Billye Aaron, the widow of the great Hank Aaron, was on hand to throw out the first pitch. Aaron was commemorated with a statue on Thursday in honor of the 50th anniversary of breaking the career home run record in 1974.
The West team led by captain CC Sabathia took the lead in the early going thanks to a two-run home run by Curtis Granderson.
But Chris Young’s East team responded with a solo home run by Tony Gwynn Jr. before Ryan Howard plated the winning runs with a massive three-run shot to right field to secure a 5-4 victory.
Even though the players on hand are getting up there in years, they showed that they can still make some plays. Dexter Fowler made a tremendous running catch in centerfield while Jones recorded the final out on a great dive and throw from shortstop.
Former Little League World Series star Mo’ne Davis was also on hand and made a nice catch in centerfield late in the game.
But far more important than the box score was the idea behind the game: to honor the past while looking to make even more progress in the future.
“It’s nice to see everybody get together and understand the history and the part that not only Black but Cuban players played in how this game grew,” Smith said.
“We get to see the guys who played in the Negro Leagues,” Griffey said. “We get to play a game and represent them and then we go from there and show the kids that baseball is baseball no matter where you come from.”
