This browser does not support the Video element.
Double Duty Classic showcases high school baseball standouts
Guaranteed Rate Field will host the Double Duty Classic Wednesday at 6 p.m. Some of the best high school baseball players from across the country will play. Named after Negro League standout, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliff, the event celebrates the history and tradition of Negro League Baseball in Chicago.
CHICAGO - Groundskeepers were out early at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday getting ready for the annual Double Duty Classic (DDC).
The DDC commemorates the history of Negro League Baseball in Chicago while also showcasing some of the most talented high school baseball players in the country.
Troy Williams, the Manager of Community Programs for the White Sox, said ever since 2007, the DDC has not only served as a way to remember traditions of Negro League Baseball but also to give "the next generations top prospects an opportunity to shine in front of coaches, scouts and their community."
High school senior Jeter Worthley of Nebraska has already signed with the University of Michigan but said he can’t wait to play at the Rate—a major league stadium—in front of his father and with some of the best high school players in the country.
Caden Mitchell, who lived in Chicago as a child but now lives in Texas, said he was fascinated to learn some of the history of the Negro League.
Some of the players were treated to a tour with local historian Shermann "Dilla" Thomas on Tuesday, getting a crash course on some of the city's Black history. Mitchell now knows where the double-duty classic got its name.
"From Ted "double duty" Radcliffe, the Negro League legend," he said. Some of the players also visited the home where Emmett Till grew up, which had a powerful impact.
DDC pregame festivities kick off at 4 p.m. and include a tailgate party and an appearance by the Jessie White tumblers.
Players will wear retro uniforms honoring past Negro Leagues, re-creating the Negro League East-West All-Star Game which drew more than 50,000 fans to Old Comiskey Park each year until the series' end in 1962, according to organizers.
The free game starts at 6 p.m. Bo Jackson is slated to throw out the first pitch.