Hall of Fame Weekend 2023 to Feature Inductions of Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen July 21-24 in Cooperstown

2023-02-13

(COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.) – Two of the top corner infielders of their era will be honored in Cooperstown during Hall of Fame Weekend 2023, July 21-24, as the eyes of the baseball world focus on Cooperstown. The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2023 Induction Ceremony will feature Scott Rolen, elected on Jan. 24 by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, along with Contemporary Baseball Era Committee electee Fred McGriff. The Class of 2023 will be formally inducted during the event beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 23 on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, which will feature speeches representing each new Hall of Famer. The 2023 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on MLB Network. Hall of Fame Weekend 2023 will also feature the Awards Presentation, when Ford C. Frick Award winner Pat Hughes and BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner John Lowe will each be honored. The Weekend will include many family programs, including the July 22 Parade of Legends and a July 24 Legends of the Game Roundtable discussion event with the new electees. More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to return for Hall of Fame Weekend, with the full list of returnees to be announced in early July, to honor the Class of 2023 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Becoming a Museum Member is the best way to experience Hall of Fame Weekend, as Members are afforded special perks during Hall of Fame Weekend. Museum Members play a major role in preserving baseball history and ensuring that generations of fans will always have a home to celebrate the history of baseball. Members always enjoy a great lineup of benefits, including Memories and Dreams magazine, a Hall of Fame Yearbook and free admission to the Museum year-round. To learn more about the program and its many benefits, please visit baseballhall.org/join.

Additional Hall of Fame Weekend Privileges for Members

Exclusive early access to the Museum on Saturday, Sunday and Monday
Free admission to the Hall of Fame throughout the year
A special members-only entrance to the Hall of Fame to avoid long lines
Reserved seating for the Induction Ceremony for Contributor, President’s Circle and Benefactor Members
A complimentary copy of the Commemorative Hall of Fame Weekend Program
Priority access to the Legends of the Game Roundtable program on Monday

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has teamed up with Sports Travel and Tours to offer baseball fans a one-stop opportunity to purchase Hall of Fame Weekend travel packages. For more information or to plan a trip to Cooperstown, please call 1-888-310-HALL (4255). Membership participants receive a 5% discount on all their baseball travel packages.

The Sunday, July 23, Induction Ceremony will take place on the grounds outside of the Clark Sports Center, which is located on lower Susquehanna Avenue, just one mile south of the Hall of Fame. The Ceremony is held rain or shine unless severe weather forces the event into a private setting. Professional interpreters will be provided for the hearing impaired. The Induction Ceremony historically lasts two-to-three hours. Lawn 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 warm in July, it is recommended that visitors bring a cap and sunscreen. Merchandise, including the 2023 Induction Program, and Museum membership packages are available for purchase at the Induction site. Refreshments are sold at the site. For information on reserved seating options granted to Museum members, please call 607-547-0397.

The Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will be held on the afternoon of Saturday, July 22. The Awards Presentation will be held as a private event taking place at the Alice Busch Opera Theater, home to the world renowned Glimmerglass Opera, which is located on the northern banks of Otsego Lake, and will feature the presentation of the Ford C. Frick Award to Pat Hughes and the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award to John Lowe. Fans will be able to watch a live broadcast of the Awards Presentation at Doubleday Field.

The Parade of Legends will take place on Saturday evening beginning at 6 p.m., with Hall of Fame members riding through Cooperstown from the Otesaga Resort Hotel, up Chestnut Street then down Main Street and concluding with a red carpet arrival on the Museum steps as Hall of Famers make their way to the Museum for a private reception.

The Class of 2023 features two players who combined for more than 800 home runs and 2,800 RBI.

Fred McGriff played 19 seasons with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs and Dodgers, earning five All-Star Game selections. McGriff is one of only four players to lead both the American League and National League in home runs, joining Buck Freeman, Sam Crawford and Mark McGwire. A key member of the 1995 World Champion Braves, McGriff batted cleanup for Atlanta in every game he played that year while playing in a league-high 144 games. The author of 10 30-homer seasons, McGriff was the first player in history to record a 30-homer season for five different franchises (Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays and Cubs). He finished in the Top 10 of his league’s Most Valuable Player Award voting in six straight seasons (1989-94) and garnered MVP votes in eight straight years (1988-95). McGriff totaled eight seasons with at least 100 RBI and batted .303 with 10 home runs in 50 career postseason games across 10 seasons. He was named Most Valuable Player of 1994 All-Star Game after his pinch-hit, two-run, bottom-of-the-ninth home run sent the game to extra innings, where the National League eventually won.

Scott Rolen played 17 seasons for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds, earning eight Gold Glove Awards at third base. A unanimous choice as the 1997 National League Rookie of the Year, Rolen debuted with the Phillies in 1996 but fell one at-bat short of exhausting his Rookie of the Year eligibility when he was hit by a pitch in September, ending his season. He won his first Gold Glove Award in 1998 and a Silver Slugger Award in 2002, a year in which he was traded to the Cardinals. With St. Louis, he was named to the NL All-Star team in each of his first four seasons, finishing fourth in the NL Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2004 while helping the Cardinals win the NL pennant. In 2006, Rolen helped the Cardinals to another NL pennant before hitting .421 with five runs scored in the World Series as St. Louis captured the title. Finishing his career with stints with Toronto and Cincinnati, Rolen compiled an .855 OPS, 316 home runs, 118 stolen bases and 517 doubles over 17 seasons. A seven-time All-Star Game selection, Rolen ranks 12th all-time with 2,023 games played at third base. He is one of only four third basemen in history (players who appeared in at least 50 percent of their games at third base) with at least 300 home runs, 100 stolen bases and 500 doubles, along with Adrian Beltré, George Brett and Chipper Jones.

There are now 342 Hall of Fame members, 75 of whom are living.

The 2023 award winners will be honored at the Awards Presentation during Hall of Fame Weekend.

Pat Hughes, who has called Chicago Cubs games for more than a quarter of a century as the team’s radio play-by-play voice, was selected as the 2023 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Born May 27, 1955, in Tucson, Ariz., Hughes attended San Jose State University and began his baseball broadcast career in 1978 with the San Jose Missions. After a season with the Columbus Clippers, Hughes joined the Minnesota Twins broadcast team in 1983 before moving to Milwaukee a year later, calling Brewers games on radio with Bob Uecker, the 2003 Frick Award winner, through 1995. A nine-time winner of the Illinois Sportscaster of the Year Award, Hughes also won three straight Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year Awards from 1990-92. He has called more than 6,000 MLB games during his 40-year career, including eight no-hitters, the 25-inning White Sox vs. Brewers contest from 1984 that was the longest game in American League history and Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game in 1998.

John Lowe, who roamed press boxes, fields and clubhouses from 1979 through 2014, the last 28 of those years as the Tigers beat writer for the Detroit Free Press, was elected the 2023 winner of the BBWAA Career Excellence Award. Lowe covered Angels home games for the Los Angeles Daily News before taking over the Dodgers beat at that paper from 1981 to 1984. After two years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lowe came to Detroit where during his tenure was credited with creating the Quality Start statistic for pitchers that remains a measuring stick. Lowe covered more than 300 postseason games, including 147 in the World Series. He also chronicled Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-games record in 1995 and the culmination of the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run chase in 1998. Lowe, who served as national BBWAA president in 2010, sought insight from trusted sources in both clubhouses, resulting in clearly written stories that explained the sport in rich detail. Lowe wrote with nuanced perspective, the direct result of countless conversations that equipped him with the knowledge to explain late-game drama on tight Eastern time zone deadlines.

Throughout Induction Weekend, the Hall of Fame will host a series of educational programs and fan-friendly experiences designed to connect generations of all ages in activities and events featuring baseball luminaries in the timeless and pastoral village of Cooperstown. Additional programming will be announced soon. Full details of new events and schedule changes will be announced at the Hall of Fame’s website baseballhall.org/hofw.

Planned activities for Hall of Fame Weekend 2023 include:

Hall of Fame Weekend Events

Friday, July 21: PLAY Ball with Ozzie Smith & special guests (Hall of Famers TBA) 8-11 a.m.
Saturday, July 22: Hall of Fame Awards Presentation, Alice Busch Opera Theater (Private Event) 3 p.m.
Saturday, July 22: Hall of Fame Parade of Legends, Main Street 6 p.m.
Sunday, July 23: Induction Ceremony, Grounds of Clark Sports Center 1:30 p.m.
Monday, July 24: Legends of the Game Roundtable: Doubleday Field 10:30 a.m. (Featuring Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen)

PLAY Ball with Ozzie Smith: Join a dream team that could only come together in Cooperstown, with Ozzie Smith and Hall of Famer guests hosting a morning experience in a fundraiser for the Hall of Fame’s educational programs. For the 20th year, PLAY Ball returns as Players, Legends And You with an interactive meet and greet starting at 8 a.m. on Friday, July 21 during Hall of Fame Weekend 2023.

PLAY Ball features over two hours of non-stop interaction, including personalized instruction and the chance to turn double plays. Each participant receives time on the field with these baseball legends, as well as a personalized photo and special mementos of the occasion. This event is open to fans of all ages. Registration for this Museum fundraiser is $750. Space is limited. For questions or to sign up call 607-547-0385. Additional Hall of Famer participants will be announced soon. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 8 a.m., Friday.

Parade of Legends: Join the pageantry and excitement as the Hall of Famers ride from the Otesaga Resort Hotel, up Chestnut Street then down Main Street on their way to a private reception at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum during an extended parade route that will begin at the Otesaga Resort Hotel. Main Street, 6 p.m., Saturday.

Legends of the Game Roundtable: The Hall of Fame’s newest members will participate in a Legends of the Game Roundtable event. Tickets to this event will be available for purchase to Museum Members starting Thursday, June 1 by calling 607-547-0397. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12. Doubleday Field, 10:30 a.m., Monday.

The Museum maintains the following Hall of Fame Weekend hours: Friday: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Monday: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Advance tickets are not necessary but are available at baseballhall.org. For Hall of Fame Members, doors open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. As always, Hall of Fame Members receive free admission. A special Members’ only entrance eliminates the need to wait in line. Interested parties may enroll in the membership program in advance at baseballhall.org/join, by calling 607-547-0397 or at the Museum.

Accommodation information is available through thisiscooperstown.com/lodging and through the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce at 607-547-9983. For driving directions from major cities, area cities and local airports, visit the directions page at the Hall of Fame’s website for more information.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend, the Museum observes daily regular hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Ticket prices are $28 for adults (13 and over), $22 for seniors (65 and over) and $17 for juniors (ages 7-12) and $19 for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations. Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. For more information, visit our website at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.