Former Cy Young winner headlines trio of SF Giants alums to play in East-West Classic

MLB will be hosting its second annual East-West Classic to honor Willie Mays' career and legacy. The dueling teams include of a trio of SF Giants alums, including Jake Peavy, Scott Kazmir, and Denard Span.

Former Cy Young winner headlines trio of SF Giants alums to play in East-West Classic

The game will be held next month at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The Giants played the St. Louis Cardinals in a two-game at that field last season.

Rickwood Field has historical significance in baseball. It was the home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. Of course, Mays got his career started at Rickwood Field with the Black Barons as a 17-year-old outfielder.

MLB will continue to honor Mays' career and legacy by hosting a game there every year. The teams consist of former players, such as Ryan Howard, Edwin Jackson, Gary Sheffield, Matt Kemp, and C.C. Sabathia.

The Giants will have some representation in that game, including Peavy, Kazmir, and Span. Oddly enough, the most recent active player among those three was Kazmir, who made five starts for the Giants in 2021. He had a four-year absence from a major league mound when he resurfaced with San Francisco. That proved to be his last stint in the majors.

Peavy and Span were teammates for the Giants in 2016. That team did reach the postseason, only to be eliminated by the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. Peavy spent parts of three seasons with the Giants. His most notable contribution came in 2014, when he posted a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts after being acquired in a trade from the Boston Red Sox.

Peavy's best years came with the San Diego Padres. This includes a stellar 2007 campaign, where he tallied a 2.54 ERA in 34 starts while taking home the NL Cy Young Award. Since his career came to an end after 2016, the 15-year veteran has served as an analyst on the MLB Network, and he joined the Padres' front office as a special assistant.

Lastly, Span joined the Giants on a three-year deal starting in 2016. He roamed the Oracle Park outfield while usually hitting atop the lineup during his time with San Francisco. The veteran outfielder was shipped to the Tampa Bay Rays after the 2017 season.

Span retired after the 2018 season. Since then, he has worked in the Rays' front office and a part of the television broadcast team. Starting in 2024, he joined the Minnesota Twins' broadcast team.