Derek Jeter’s Hall of Fame induction won’t have restrictions

Derek Jeter will be able to get another ovation from a packed crowd in New York.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced Monday that this year’s induction ceremony in Cooperstown will “return to its standard seating format” instead of the ticketed format that was announced earlier this month.

Jeter, along with Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, were voted in over a year ago, but last year’s ceremony was canceled due to COVID. This year, no players were voted in, meaning the members of the Class of 2020 will have the stage to themselves.

Attendance for the event, which was pushed back earlier this month from July to Wednesday, Sept. 8, will again be free and unlimited at the Clark Sports Center and not require a ticket.

The announcement followed the state’s recent lifting of numerous COVID restrictions.

Last year’s cancellation was the first time the Hall of Fame did not hold an induction ceremony since 1960.

Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Getty Images

A record crowd had been expected for Jeter before the event was impacted by COVID. In 2019 — when Mariano Rivera was inducted — an estimated 55,000 were on hand for the event. It was the second-largest attendance for the event, according to the Hall of Fame. The 2007 ceremony featuring the induction of Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn drew an estimated 82,000.

The Hall of Fame’s Annual Awards Presentation remains scheduled for July 24 and will be held indoors. That ceremony will include honoring the winners of the Ford C. Frick Award, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award and the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.

Leave a Comment