Hall of Famers Return to Cooperstown for Induction of Class of 2020

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – The biggest stars in the game’s history came rolling into Cooperstown on Tuesday, returning to baseball’s spiritual home for the most anticipated Induction Ceremony in decades.

The Class of 2020 will wait no longer for its moment in the spotlight.

Thirty-one Hall of Famers are scheduled to return to Central New York to honor Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s annual Induction Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 8 on the grounds of Cooperstown’s Clark Sports Center.

The Induction Ceremony will be shown live exclusively on MLB Network, which has televised the event every year since its launch in 2009. Jeter, Simmons and Walker will speak at the Induction Ceremony, with former Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Don Fehr speaking about Miller.

The 2020 and 2021 award winners, Nick Cafardo (2020 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner), Ken Harrelson (2020 Ford C. Frick Award winner), Dick Kaegel (2021 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner), Al Michaels (2021 Ford C. Frick Award winner) and David Montgomery (2020 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award winner) will also be recognized at the Induction Ceremony.

The ceremony will also include a special video presentation, produced by MLB Network and narrated by Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, honoring those Hall of Famers we've lost since the last Induction Ceremony.

The Wednesday, Sept. 8, Induction Ceremony, hosted by MLB Network’s Brian Kenny, will take place on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center, which is located on lower Susquehanna Avenue, unless severe weather cancels the event. Follow all the action with the #HOF2021 hashtag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Based on Otsego County, State of New York and CDC guidelines, unvaccinated individuals attending the Induction Ceremony are requested to wear masks. Facemasks are recommended for all attendees.

Please note that professional interpreters will be provided for the hearing impaired. The event will be held outdoors rain or shine.

The Ceremony is expected to last more than two hours. Seating for the event is unlimited and free of charge.

The Museum will have special hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in effect on Sept. 8. Sept. 9 will mark the return to regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours. Museum tickets can be reserved in advance at basebalhall.org/tickets.

Parking will be extremely limited in Cooperstown on Wednesday. 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 the Induction site 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 $5 per person, cash only. Two special paid parking lots will be available only on Wednesday, Sept. 8. These lots are located just beyond the Blue Trolley Lot at Cooperstown Central School (paid lot is Cy Young Lot) and on Route 33 just east of the Induction Site (paid lot is the Hank Aaron Lot).

The Hall of Fame will provide free shuttle buses from the corner of Main and Fair streets to the Induction site, with regular service from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then resuming at the conclusion of the Induction Ceremony. Shuttles will not run during the Induction Ceremony.