A part of Chatham-Kent’s local baseball history will soon be immortalized as part of a popular video game.
The 1934 Chatham Coloured All-Stars, the first all-Black team to win an Ontario Baseball Association Championship, is being brought back to life virtually in the latest edition of the baseball video game MLB The Show. With support from Major League Baseball, developers have recreated members of the 1934 team, their uniforms, team artifacts, and their home field within the game.
Footage from the video game will be shown during the upcoming Field of Honour Charity Baseball Game on Saturday, which will also honour the 1934 team. Descendants of the original team will be present at the charity game, including Chatham native and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins, whose father played on the 1934 team.
The event kicks off at 10:30 a.m. at Fergie Jenkins Field at Rotary Park in Chatham with pre-game events and a preview of the video game.
The first baseball game of the event will kick off at 11 a.m. for “Golden Agers” with players 50 years old and above.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming, which is sponsoring the event, will be making a special cheque presentation at 1 p.m.
And at 1:45 p.m., another game will be held for the new generation of players between the ages of 18-49.
To learn how to play as the iconic Chatham baseball team in MLB The Show and to watch a short film about the team, click here.