Cooperstown, NY is gonna be packed this September!

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Due to the significant reduction in rules and regulations related to COVID-19, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown has revised plans for this fall's induction ceremonies.  An unlimited number of fans can attend the festivities as New York Yankee Legend Derek Jeter gets enshrined in The Hall on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 at 1:30PM.

Earlier this month, Baseball Hall officials announced would be held outside as in years' past at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, but only a limited number of fan tickets would be available for the induction of Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and one-time Utica Blue Sox player Larry Walker. Now, citing an easing of most pandemic-related restrictions statewide, Hall officials say no tickets will be required and the lawn will be open to the public.

At five of the last six inductions (covering 2014-2019), approximately 50,000 people or more have crashed Cooperstown to be a part of the annual ceremonies, officials with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum said. Including one of the most highly attended induction ceremonies in Hall history, in 2019, when the class included two former Yankees - Mariano Rivera and Mike Mussina:

The second-largest crowd on record – an estimated 55,000 people – attended the Hall of Fame’s last Induction Ceremony, which took place on July 21, 2019.

Jeter's status as 'The Captain' during an era that saw the franchise win 5 World Series Championships has led many to believe that 55,000-number will be overshadowed, despite the later than normal date, and that it's scheduled on a Wednesday instead of a weekend.

The enshrinement of Jeter, Walker, Miller and Simmons is long overdue. They actually comprise the 2020 HOF Class, which was obviously canceled because of the pandemic. Then, the plan was to induct the group without fans on hand this fall. With eased restrictions and increased vaccination rates, the ceremony was slated to be limited capacity with tickets required to attend (tickets were FREE, but it was first come first served).

Meanwhile, the Hall of Fame's Annual Awards Presentation is still scheduled for July 24 and will be held indoors. Despite the eased restrictions, it is a televised-only event (MLB Network) not open to the public.  At that ceremony, awards including the Ford C. Frick Award, the Career Excellence Award for a baseball writer, and the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award will be handed out.

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