62 HOF Legends Coming to Cooperstown for Induction
The eyes of the baseball world will be focused on Cooperstown in less than three weeks, with the legends of the game in town to see history unfold during Hall of Fame Weekend.
Fifty-seven past-inducted Hall of Fame members are expected to return, July 19-22, to celebrate the induction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2019. As of July 2, an all-time high of 62 total Hall of Famers, including 2019 inductees Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith, are scheduled to be a part of Hall of Fame Weekend festivities in Cooperstown. The previous record of 57 Hall of Famers at Induction Weekend was set in 2018.
The Class of 2019, which includes the late Roy Halladay along with Baines, Martinez, Mussina, Rivera and Smith, will be inducted on Sunday, July 21, with the Induction Ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The 2019 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air live on MLB Network, which has televised the event every year since its launch in 2009.
On Saturday, July 20, the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will be held at 4:30 p.m. at Doubleday Field, where the returning Hall of Famers will gather on stage to honor the 2019 Award Winners. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark will receive the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing, while the late Al Helfer will be honored with the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.
Admission to both the July 20 Awards Presentation and the July 21 Induction Ceremony is free.
As of July 2, the Hall of Fame members expected to return to Cooperstown to honor the Class of 2019 include:
Henry Aaron
Roberto Alomar
Jeff Bagwell
Johnny Bench
Craig Biggio
Bert Blyleven
Wade Boggs
George Brett
Rod Carew
Steve Carlton
Andre Dawson
Dennis Eckersley
Rollie Fingers
Carlton Fisk
Pat Gillick
Tom Glavine
Goose Gossage
Ken Griffey Jr.
Vladimir Guerrero
Rickey Henderson
Trevor Hoffman
Reggie Jackson
Fergie Jenkins
Randy Johnson
Chipper Jones
Al Kaline
Sandy Koufax
Tony La Russa
Barry Larkin
Tommy Lasorda
Greg Maddux
Juan Marichal
Pedro Martínez
Paul Molitor
Joe Morgan
Jack Morris
Eddie Murray
Phil Niekro
Tony Pérez
Gaylord Perry
Tim Raines
Jim Rice
Cal Ripken
Brooks Robinson
Iván Rodríguez
Ryne Sandberg
John Schuerholz
Bud Selig
Ozzie Smith
John Smoltz
Frank Thomas
Jim Thome
Joe Torre
Alan Trammell
Billy Williams
Dave Winfield
Robin Yount
The Induction Ceremony will be held on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on July 21, unless severe weather forces the event cancellation. Seating is free and unlimited and the Ceremony is expected to last three hours. The Ceremony will be televised live on MLB Network and broadcast nationally on Sirius XM Radio.
The Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 20 will last one hour and is free of charge and open to the public at Doubleday Field. Gates will open at 3 p.m. for the 4:30 p.m. Awards Presentation. Following the Awards Presentation, the Hall of Famers and Award winners will stage the Parade of Legends, in a ride down Main Street in trucks provided by Ford Motor Company.
The complete schedule for Hall of Fame Weekend includes:
Friday, July 19
n Ozzie Smith’s PLAY Ball Museum fundraiser will be held at 8 a.m. The annual fundraiser for the Museum’s educational programs gives fans a unique opportunity to experience on-field moments and share stories with Ozzie, Hall of Fame teammate Jim Thome and two additional Hall of Famers to be announced. The event begins with an exclusive morning reception in the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery, then moves to a Cooperstown-area diamond for two hours of interactive stories, instruction and fun. To register, please call 607-547-0385.
Saturday, July 20
n The Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will take place at 4:30 p.m. at Doubleday Field. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark will receive the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing, while the late Al Helfer will be honored with the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting. The Awards Presentation will also feature a Salute to the Importance of Coaching and Recognition of 25 Years of Service to the Hall of Fame for former Museum President Jeff Idelson.
n The 10th annual Hall of Fame Parade of Legends will begin at 6 p.m. along Main Street. Hall of Fame members will participate in the parade, which will originate on Chestnut Street and conclude at the front steps of the Museum on Main Street. Hall of Famers will ride in trucks provided by Ford Motor Company en route to a private reception at the Museum.
Sunday, July 21
n The annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Clark Sports Center, located one mile south of the Hall of Fame. Baseball Writers’ Association of America electees Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera will be honored alongside Today’s Game Era Committee electees Harold Baines and Lee Smith and be inducted on stage in front of more than four dozen returning Hall of Famers. Admission to the Ceremony on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center is free.
Monday, July 22
n The five living members of the Class of 2019 will be featured in a Legends of the Game Roundtable program, hosted by MLB Network’s Peter Gammons, at 10:30 a.m. on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center as they reminisce about their careers and induction into the Hall of Fame. Tickets are currently available to participants in the Hall of Fame’s Membership Program at 607-547-0397 and are $10 for adults, $5 for children.