OurHistory.

It was June 19, 2024. Willie Mays had died the day before. Rickwood Field, America’s oldest ballpark, was set to host a St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants game the next day. It would be the first time a Major League game had ever been played at Rickwood, and the occasion was years in the making. The objective of the game was clear: honor Willie, honor the Negro Leagues, honor Rickwood, and honor the game of baseball. And because Willie had died just two days before the game, it was extra special. It was a time to pay homage to someone who was not only one of the greatest players of all time, but who also broke down so many of our societal barriers.

On that day, Gaines Johnson, a lifelong baseball fan and a lover of people, boarded a connecting flight in Atlanta, Georgia, on the way back to Birmingham, Alabama. When he boarded the plane, he noticed that the man sitting next to him was decked out in National Baseball Hall of Fame gear. After some brief banter, Gaines and Jon (as Gaines came to know his name) started talking baseball. Jon was coming down from the Hall for the game at Rickwood and offered Gaines a couple of the Hall of Fame’s tickets at face value. Toward the end of the flight, Gaines asked, “So Jon, what is your role in this game?” Jon responded, “After Willie died yesterday, we decided to bring his Hall of Fame plaque down to Rickwood to honor him.” The plaque had not left the Hall since Willie was inducted in 1979, and the plaques rarely leave, but it was in the overhead compartment above them.

There are some miraculous moments in life that aren’t purely coincidence; they are moments that launch a chain of events that cannot be stopped. After attending the Celebrity Softball game at Rickwood that night and Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants game on June 20, Gaines had a vision: to create a global baseball organization that would grow the game, bring people together, and transform the way humanity interacts. We will be together as one.

Since June 23, 2024, The World Baseball League has evolved from an idea into a reality. We’ve built community, we’ve supported great non-profits, we’ve connected with baseball organizations around the globe, we’ve worked with universities, and we’ve created a new, more entertaining form of baseball.

Our home field is Rickwood Field, the oldest ballpark in America. Rickwood is where Willie Mays first played professionally, and more than 180 of the 280+ players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame have played there.