The Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony has been moved to Sept. 8 and will take place with a limited crowd in an outdoor setting.
Originally scheduled for Sunday, July 25, the event honoring Class of 2020 members Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker will now be held on a Wednesday afternoon in Cooperstown, N.Y., based on Centers for Disease Control and New York state health guidelines.
Large crowds had been anticipated for Jeter, the longtime New York Yankees star. Five of the six ceremonies held from 2014-19 drew at least 50,000 people.
Unlike past years when seating on the lawn was wide open, tickets will be required this year. Lawn seating is still free, but a limited number of tickets will be made available starting July 12 at 11 a.m. ET through the Hall of Fame’s website.
“On behalf of our Board of Directors and our Staff, we are thrilled to be able to welcome our Hall of Famers — the living legends — and fans back to Cooperstown to celebrate the Induction of the Class of 2020,” National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum chairman Jane Forbes Clark said in a news release Wednesday.
“Returning the Induction Ceremony to an outdoor event will provide the baseball community with the opportunity to visit Cooperstown and celebrate the Induction of four of the game’s Greats.”
The ceremony will be broadcast live on MLB Network. The induction of the Class of 2020 was postponed until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No candidates were elected for induction in 2021.
–Field Level Media