The 2020 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, originally scheduled for July, has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns, with the 2020 inductees now slated to be honored during 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
“Induction Weekend is a celebration of our National Pastime and its greatest legends, and while we are disappointed to cancel this incredibly special event, the Board of Directors’ overriding concern is the health and well-being of our new inductees, our Hall of Fame members, our wonderful fans and the hundreds of staff it takes to present the weekend’s events in all of its many facets,” said Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “We care deeply about every single person who visits Cooperstown.”
“In heeding the advice of government officials as well as federal, state and local medical and scientific experts, we chose to act with extraordinary caution in making this decision,” Clark continued. “The Board of Directors has decided that the Class of 2020 will be inducted and the 2020 Award Winners will be honored as part of next summer’s Hall of Fame Weekend, taking place July 23-26, 2021.”
The Class of 2020 – consisting of Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker – will be inducted on Sunday, July 25, 2021, in Cooperstown, alongside any new members elected as part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. The Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 24, 2021 will recognize the Hall of Fame’s 2020 and 2021 Award Winners, including 2020 J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner Nick Cafardo, 2020 Ford C. Frick Award winner Hawk Harrelson and the winner of the 2020 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, David Montgomery.
“I fully understand and agree with the Board’s decision,” said Class of 2020 Hall of Fame member Larry Walker. “It is most important to do the right thing for everybody involved, and that means not putting any participants in jeopardy, whether Hall of Famers or visitors. I realize how serious this situation has become and how many lives have been lost.”
The Hall of Fame has held an Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown every year since 1961. An Induction Ceremony was not held in 1950, 1958 and 1960 after voting resulted in no new electees, while no elections were held in 1940, 1941 and 1943. In 1942, Rogers Hornsby was elected but an Induction Ceremony was not held due to travel restrictions related to World War II.