Watch LIVE: Beltré, Helton, Mauer, Leyland enter HOF
Jason Beck
@beckjasonFor one weekend each summer, the quiet, sleepy village of Cooperstown, N.Y., becomes the bustling center of the baseball world, welcoming tens of thousands to celebrate the sport’s history with the Baseball Hall of Fame inductions. Today, the Hall opens its doors to welcome a four-person class that includes players Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer, along with manager Jim Leyland.
Fans can watch all the speeches and fanfare right now on MLB Network, and the festivities are being simulcast live on MLB.com. The ceremony, which began at 1:30 p.m. ET, is expected to last approximately 2 1/2 hours.
Here’s what you need to know about one of the most revered events in sports:
Who is being inducted? How and why were they selected?
Three players -- Beltré, Helton and Mauer – were elected by eligible voters from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Players needed to be selected on at least 75% of submitted ballots to earn induction.
Helton, who played 17 seasons with the Rockies, received 307 votes (79.7%) and gave the first speech. He retired as one of just 21 players with a career .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage over at least 1,000 games played.
Beltré, one of the best third basemen in baseball history, was selected on 366 of 385 ballots (95.1%) and was up next, keeping his cool even after David Ortiz deigned to touch his head before the speech. (Beltré famously hates that!) The four-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner and four-time Silver Slugger is the only third baseman in MLB history with at least 3,000 hits and 450 home runs, accomplished over a 21-year career with the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox and Rangers.
Mauer, the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles, received 293 votes (76.1%). He spent his entire 15-year career with his hometown Minnesota Twins, where he was a six-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glover and the 2009 AL MVP. He’s the only catcher in history with a career .300 batting average, .380 on-base percentage and 2,000 hits.
In addition, Leyland -- a former manager for the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies and Tigers -- was elected by the Contemporary Era Committee for Managers, Executives and Umpires. Leyland won three Manager of the Year awards, six division titles, three pennants and led the Marlins to the 1997 World Series title over a 22-year career that included 1,769 wins. He came out of retirement to lead Team USA to a World Baseball Classic title in 2017.
Which caps will the new Hall of Famers have on their plaques?
Helton and Mauer will obviously wear Rockies and Twins caps, respectively, having spent their entire careers with one team. Beltré selected the Rangers, having spent more seasons in Texas (eight) than with any other club. Leyland elected not to have a logo on his cap out of respect for all the teams he managed.
Is anyone else being honored?
In addition to the inductions, the Hall of Fame presented longtime Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters on Saturday afternoon. Castiglione has called Red Sox games on the radio for 41 seasons.
The late Gerry Fraley was also honored, posthumously receiving the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for writers. Fraley covered the Phillies, Braves and Rangers over a renowned career before he passed away in 2019 at age 64.
What other events take place during Hall of Fame Weekend?
In addition to MLB Play Ball events on Friday and Saturday at Doubleday Field for youth baseball and softball players ages 5-12, fans got to see the new and returning Hall of Famers on the streets of Cooperstown during the Parade of Legends on Saturday night. The parade began at the intersection of Lake and Chestnut Streets, then followed Chestnut Street to Main Street and proceeded to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.