It was a historic night in Birmingham Thursday night as Major League Baseball paid tribute to the Negro Leagues and historic Rickwood Field, billed as the oldest professional baseball stadium in the United States.

“What was already meant to be a special night for the baseball community, the city of Birmingham and the entire state of Alabama was made even more special this week with the passing of Birmingham legend Willie Mays. Mays began his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons at Rickwood. Thursday night's game was a moving tribute not only to an Alabama native, but to one of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport.”

The fellow Alabama native had a great game for the St. Louis Cardinals, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBIs to help his team beat the Giants 6-5.

Congratulations to Enterprise's Brendan Donovan, who had three hits including this 498 foot home run in last night's historic game. Rickwood Field Match in Birmingham!

His team: @Cardinalswon 6-5 Follow. pic.twitter.com/muUcH2itO4

— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) June 21, 2024

Brendan Donovan, who began his career at Enterprise High School where he grew up, has been with the Cardinals since beginning his major league career in 2022.

Donovan was a star player at Enterprise, batting .467 during his senior season in 2015, before going on to play collegiately at the University of South Alabama.

Donovan beat Mays' former team in San Francisco, and the all-time great must have been smiling at Rickwood Field watching the Alabama product in action.

Michael Browner is a senior sports analyst and contributor to Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. translation: Listen to him weekdays from 6am to 9am. WNSP-FM 105.5's “Opening Kickoff” Available online for free.