53 Hall of Famers Scheduled to Return to Cooperstown for July 24-27 Hall of Fame Weekend

Historic Class of 2015 to be Inducted Sunday, July 26

(COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.) – The plans are made and the legends are lined up.

Cooperstown is ready for baseball’s best weekend.

More than 50 Hall of Famers are scheduled to be in Cooperstown to honor the Class of 2015 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum July 24-27. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, honoring Class of 2015 electees Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martínez and John Smoltz, will be held Sunday, July 26, at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Clark Sports Center – located one mile south of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Admission to the Induction Ceremony is free.

As of July 20, an expected 53 Hall of Famers, including the Class of 2015, are scheduled to be part of Hall of Fame Weekend festivities in Cooperstown:

The Induction Ceremony will be shown live on MLB Network, which is available in more than 70 million homes nationwide. The Induction Ceremony will also be shown via webcast at www.baseballhall.org.

The Hall of Fame will be held at 4:30 p.m. on July 25 at Doubleday Field and will feature the presentation of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters to Dick Enberg; and the presentation of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for writers to Tom Gage. The Awards Presentation will also feature a tribute to the legacy and contributions of former Reds, Cardinals and Senators outfielder Curt Flood, whose test of the reserve clause via the United States Supreme Court in 1970 laid the groundwork for the advent of free agency several years later. Tony Clark, the Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, will speak on behalf of Flood. The Museum will also recognize all the ballplayers who served in World War II, with United States Navy Secretary Ray Mabus speaking on behalf of all military branches. The Awards Presentation is free and open to the public.

Also on Saturday, July 25, the Hall of Fame Parade of Legends returns for a sixth year to provide fans with more thrills. Hall of Famers will ride down Main Street in trucks provided by Ford Motor Company en route to a private reception at the Museum during the 6 p.m. parade, with the staging for this year’s Parade to take place at Doubleday Field, immediately following the Awards Presentation.

The Sunday, July 26 Induction Ceremony will take place on the grounds outside of the Clark Sports Center, which is located on lower Susquehanna Avenue, unless severe weather cancels the event. Follow the Hall of Fame on Twitter @BaseballHall for the latest updates.

The Ceremony is expected to last three hours. Seating for the event is unlimited and free of charge. A blanket or lawn chair is recommended for comfortable viewing. As the weather in Cooperstown can be quite warm in July, it is recommended that visitors bring a cap and sunscreen. Ball caps, yearbooks and Museum membership packages are available for purchase at the Induction site. Refreshments are sold at the site and water is provided complimentary to visitors.

Parking will be extremely limited in Cooperstown during Hall of Fame Weekend. As is the case throughout the summer, the village will make parking and trolley service available at three trolley lots in Cooperstown. The Cooperstown Trolley will provide transit to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Doubleday Field from three different locations: the Red Lot on Route 28 (Glen Avenue) at Maple Street; the Blue Lot on Route 28 just south of Cooperstown; and the Yellow Lot on Route 80 at the upper parking lot of the Fenimore Art Museum. All-day passes are available for $2 per adult and free for children 5 and under. The Trolley will operate throughout Hall of Fame Weekend daily from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.