The fourth Swingman Classic – essentially an HBCU All-Star game started off with a bang. Well, the bang came before the first pitch. It started when Jimmy Rollins, who won a World Series in this stadium, got a big ovation from the Philadelphia crowd during the introductions. Next, everyone stood, there was no kneeling going on as a local jazz artist sang the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Eric Roberson and the Enon Baptist Church Choir sang the regular National Anthem after that. On a side note, Enon Baptist church in Philadelphia has a very good youth baseball team, but there was no mention of that at the game tonight.

Mayor Cheryl Parker, Philadelphia’s 100th mayor and the first female but not the first Black mayor threw out the first pitch. I’m just gonna go ahead and say it was a strike. Maybe it wasn’t, but when you compare it to 50 Cent’s air mail to the backstop, Parker’s pitch was a Hunter Greene changeup that just painted the edge of the strike zone.

And seconds before the opening pitch, Philadelphia Eagles hype man, Gillie Da King, came out and pumped up all the HBCU grads with his school shout outs.

The first inning made it seem like this was gonna be much like a little league game when the first batter for the American League, Jacoby Radcliffe got hit by a pitch, stole second, stole third and scored on the catcher’s wild throw into left field. Meanwhile, the next batter, KJ White, walked and stole second. Miguel Oropeza walked and a few pitches later, he and White advanced on a wild pitch. You see where this was headed?

Somehow after that, the National League settled down. Righted the ship. Got out of the inning and the game seemed to move along without incident until the American League put two more up on the scoreboard when Jose Fernandez doubled to the wall in left center. A couple of innings later they tacked on another run to make it 6-0.

Ultimately the final score was 6-1 but that’s not what got accomplished here tonight. What happened in South Philly tonight was a showcasing of Black talent on the baseball field. It was a chance for local HBCU alum and fans in town for the MLB All-Star Game to eyeball for themselves what can emerge when investing in kids on the baseball field. Each one of these kids that played tonight had parents, coaches and whoever else nurturing and encouraging them from the time they first picked up a bat.

While several of these players came through programs like Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and Major League Baseball’s elite-development events (MLB Develops), these programs could be doing more. As it stands now the Black percentage of Major League Baseball players stands at 6.8%. At least that’s what it was on Opening Day.

So, a showcase like this is important in Jimmy Rollins’s eyes, “It’s very important. We know the numbers have gone down for a number of years now. Although lately it’s become more stable,” he noted. “But what we do see is our kids are starting to play baseball again. From traditional places, California, Florida, Texas… Georgia. You know, so we go around the country and you look at these kids and you see the highlights of what’s coming down the pipeline. That’s big. We tend to lose kids around 13-14 years old but I think they’re starting to see the other side of it and one is seeing black players that’s not the top three stars have a chance to not be stars. To just be on the team.That’s very important. For a number of years we always said that as a Black player you’re either starting or you’re in the Minors. There’s no in-between for us.”

It’s great for young players to all of these kids, as well, because it’s encouraging but for a Black player to get over the hump and make it to The Majors, the road has to start very early.

Still, Jimmy Rollins thinks it’s doable. “So representation at the top but it does come from encouragement at home also,” he said after the game. Stick it out. It might not look as good as you want it to look. There’s no playing on TV on Saturdays and Sundays but when you get there, you realize it was worth the journey.”