2021 MLB Hall of Fame: Guide and info for induction ceremony

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New Hall of Fame 2020 inductees Larry Walker, left, and Derek Jeter pose for photos at St. Regis Hotel in New York on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Hall Of Fame Presser

Elected in 2020. Inducted in 2021. Enshrined forever. 

That’s the case for Derek Jeter, Larry Walker and Major League Baseball’s newest Hall of Fame class, whose induction ceremony was postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who have spent a lifetime dreaming of their plaque hanging on the wall at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, then had to delay the honor an extra year, the wait is finally over.

The induction ceremony for the 2020 class will be held on Sept. 8 in front of the usual outdoor crowd, albeit without certain aspects of a traditional Hall of Fame weekend. (No one was elected to the Hall of Fame for the Class of 2021.)

Here’s everything you need to know to watch the newest Hall of Famers take their place among baseball’s immortals in Cooperstown, N.Y.:

When is the 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremony?

The 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 8, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.

The 2020 class was elected on Jan. 21, 2020. Hall of Fame weekend was originally scheduled for late July of 2020 but was postponed due to health and safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time since 1960 that an induction ceremony was not held in Cooperstown.

How can I watch the 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremony?

The 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air on MLB Network. Prior to the induction will be the annual Awards Ceremony.

Will fans be in attendance at the 2021 Hall of Fame induction?

During the last induction ceremony in 2019, a near-record crowd of an estimated 55,000 fans were on hand as Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina entered the Hall of Fame.

Fans will be welcomed as usual at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, where lawn seating is free for everyone.

Annual induction weekend events, such as the legends game and meet-and-greet events, have been canceled. 

Who is being inducted into the Hall of Fame? 

The headliner is, as late Yankees PA announcer Bob Sheppard would say, “the shortstop, No. 2, Derek Jeter, No. 2.”

The Yankee captain was one vote shy of becoming the second unanimous Hall of Famer, following his teammate Mariano Rivera in 2019. Jeter -- who received 396 out of 397 votes in his first year on the ballot -- helped lead the Yankees to five World Series championships and finished with 3,465 hits, which is the sixth most all time.

He will be joined by Larry Walker, the former outfielder for the Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies. Walker is the second Canadian to be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame, joining Fergie Jenkins, and the first to enter as a Rockie. The 1997 NL MVP and three-time batting champion had a .313 career average while collecting 2,160 hits.

Also being inducted via the Hall of Fame’s Modern Baseball Era Committee are Ted Simmons, the longtime St. Louis Cardinal whose 2,472 career hits are second most for a catcher in MLB history behind Ivan Rodriguez, and Marvin Miller, the former head of the Players Association who changed the landscape of baseball by helping to increase player salaries, eradicate the reserve clause and institute arbitration and free agency. 

No candidates from the 2021 ballot met the 75 percent threshold required for induction, with Curt Schilling coming closest with 71.1 percent of the vote.

So, the 2020 class gets the stage to themselves, one year later than expected.

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