Jenkins, Walker among HOFers returning to Cooperstown for induction weekend

Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.), left, and Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) are among the 54 Hall of Famers returning to Cooperstown for the annual induction weekend. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame

July 5, 2022

Official National Baseball Hall of Fame News Release

(COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.) – The eyes of the baseball world will be focused on Cooperstown in a little more than two weeks, with the legends of the game in town to see history unfold during Hall of Fame Weekend.

Fifty-one past-inducted Hall of Fame members are expected to return, July 22-25, to celebrate the induction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2022. As of July 5, 54 total Hall of Famers, including 2022 inductees Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva and David Ortiz, are scheduled to be a part of Hall of Fame Weekend festivities in Cooperstown.

The Class of 2022, which also includes posthumous electees Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Minnie Miñoso and Buck O’Neil, will be inducted on Sunday, July 24, with the Induction Ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m. E.T. The 2022 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air live on MLB Network, which has televised every Induction Ceremony since its launch in 2009.

On Saturday, July 23, the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will be held at 3 p.m. as a private event, with a simulcast at Doubleday Field. ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian will receive the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing, while the late Jack Graney (St. Thomas, Ont.) will be honoured with the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.

Admission to both the July 23 Awards Presentation simulcast and the July 24 Induction Ceremony is free.

As of July 5, the Hall of Fame members expected to return to Cooperstown to honour the Class of 2022 include:

The Induction Ceremony will be held on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown starting at 1:30 p.m. E.T. on July 24, unless severe weather forces the event cancellation. Lawn seating is free 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 23 will last one hour, and the simulcast is free of charge and open to the public at Doubleday Field. Later in the day, the Hall of Famers and Award winners will stage the Parade of Legends, in a ride down Main Street.

The complete schedule for Hall of Fame Weekend includes:

Friday, July 22

- 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 teammates Cal Ripken Jr. and Jim Thome and an additional Hall of Famer to be announced. The event begins with an exclusive morning reception in the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery, then moves to historic Doubleday Field for interactive stories, instruction and fun. To register, please call 607-547-0385.

Saturday, July 23

- The Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will take place at 3 p.m. as a private event, with a simulcast at Doubleday Field. ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian will receive the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing, while the late Jack Graney (St. Thomas, Ont.) will be honoured with the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.

- The 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 Lake Street and conclude at the front steps of the Museum on Main Street. Hall of Famers will ride to a private reception at the Museum.

Sunday, July 24

- 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 electee David Ortiz will be honoured alongside Era Committee electees Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Miñoso, Tony Oliva and Buck O’Neil 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 25

- The three living members of the Class of 2022 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.

Hall of Fame Members receive free admission to the Museum year-round, and membership information is available at baseballhall.org/join. Museum members also receive a host of benefits, including a subscription to the bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, an annual copy of the Hall of Fame Yearbook, 10 percent off retail store purchases, plus free shipping, and more.