Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Rickwood Field to welcome star-studded lineup for East-West Classic
Reading time: 4 minutes
Rickwood Field will welcome some of our favorite baseball stars next week for the second annual East-West classic game.
The Juneteenth game will see 30 former baseball players face off in a five-inning exhibition game.
Baseball royalty
Two teams of 15 players, each representing one side of the country, will face off in the East-West Classic June 19 at the US’ oldest professional ballpark.
Chris Young will captain the East team, which features Alabama-native Jake Peavy. Hall-of-Fame pitcher CC Sabathia will captain the West.
Between them, the two rosters contain:
- 400 Major League seasons played
- 65 All-Star nods
- 23 Gold Glove awards
- 17 Silver Slugger awards
- 10 World Series championships
- 1 MLB Hall-of-Fame induction
Read on for a few names to know on each team.
Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy will return to his native Alabama as a representative of the East team.
From Mobile, Peavy attended St. Paul’s Episcopal School before being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1999. He was called up to the Major Leagues in 2002 and pitched for the Padres until 2009. A National League Cy Young award winner in 2007 after leading the NL in wins and strikeouts and the MLB in ERA, he joined the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 2023.
In 2013 and 2014, Peavy won back-to-back World Series with first the Boston Red Sox and then the San Fransisco Giants.
Peavy earned an induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022.
CC Sabathia
CC Sabathia will captain the West team fresh off his 2025 selection for the MLB Hall-of-Fame.
The left-handed pitcher played 19 seasons in the Major Leagues, earning six All-Star appearances and one Cy Young award.
In 2009, Sabathia signed a then-record contract for a pitcher with the New York Yankees before leading them to a World Series title that same year.
Gary Sheffield
Gary Sheffield will headline the East team as its designated hitter.
A veteran of 22 Major League seasons, Sheffield began his career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1988. He went on to represent eight different Major League teams across more than two decades in the sport.
Sheffield’s career highlight came in 1997, when he led the Florida Marlins to a World Series title. He announced his retirement in 2011, with that World Series, nine All-Star appearances and five Silver Sluggers awards to his name.
Chris Young
The East team’s captain will be Chris Young.
The Texas-native played 13 Major League seasons as an outfielder, starting with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Young became the first rookie in Major League history with 30 home runs and 25 stolen bases while playing for the Diamondbacks in 2007, winning the team’s Rookie of the Year Award as a result.
Three years later, he earned the team’s MVP award and was a National League All-Star.
Adam Jones
Adam Jones represented four teams across a 15-year Major League career. On June 19, he will play infield for Team West.
The Californian center-fielder started his career with Seattle Mariners before moving on to the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks.
His most succesfull career-spell came with the Orioles. In 10 years in Maryland, Jones made five All-Star appearances, won four Gold Glove awards and earned the Silver Slugger award in 2013.
Jones won the pregame home run derby at last year’s inaugural East-West classic.
Matt Kemp
Another long-serving player, Matt Kemp featured for six teams across his 15-year Major League career.
He is perhaps best remembers for his 2011 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After leading the National League in both home runs and RBIs, Kemp won the Hank Aaron award, a Silver Slugger award, a Gold Glove award and made the All-Star team. He came second in the NL MVP vote.
Though his last MLB appearance came in 2020, Kemp did not officially retire until 2024, when he rejoined the Dodgers in an advisory role.
In his 15 years in the Major Leagues, Kemp was an All-Star on three occasions, and won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove award on two separate occasions each.
East-West Classic
Here’s everything you need to know about next week’s exhibition event.
- What: East-West Classic
- When: 12PM | Thursday, June 19
- Where: Rickwood Field | 1137 2nd Ave W, Birmingham, AL 35204
- More info | Tickets
Excited for the East-West Classic game? Tell us about it by tagging @bhamnow on socials.
