Cooperstown, New York, was buzzing in the days leading up to the 2021 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Sept. 8. The most obvious reason for the excitement was Derek Jeter, the longtime Yankees captain, who was set to finally be inducted after his January 2020 election. The heightened anticipation brought on by a 14-month delay, coupled with a troubling weather forecast for induction day, created that much more nervous energy.

As Jeter has surmised several times since earning a place in Cooperstown’s Class of 2020, the honor of making it into the Hall is equally spectacular for every one of the 263 players now enshrined. After all, that tiny number represents about 1 percent of the men who have played in the Majors. But in early September, it seemed as if Cooperstown was filled with Yankees fans from near and far, thousands of people determined to witness Jeter’s big day. With all the respect in the world for the three men also inducted in 2021 -- former players Larry Walker and Ted Simmons, along with late union chief Marvin Miller -- it’s fair to say that Jeter was most responsible for elevating the excitement during this year’s uniquely scheduled ceremony.

After the 2020 ceremony was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, plans to celebrate last year’s class seemingly changed with the wind for about 12 months. (There were no additional people elected in 2021.) First, the Hall planned an indoor ceremony in July with no fans. Then the date was moved back to September for an outdoor ceremony at the Clark Sports Center -- where it has been held for decades -- but as a ticketed event.

Ultimately, things returned to the way they were pre-pandemic, with the Hall announcing that lawn seating, situated behind a reserved seating area, would be unlimited. To the delight of an estimated crowd of 20,000 people -- still a modest number compared to the 55,000 or so that came out for the class of 2019, which was highlighted by Mariano Rivera -- they would be able to witness history.

Or would they? After a year of sadness and cancellations, this was set to be the happiest of occasions for Jeter’s loyal fans. But as the clock ticked closer to 1:30 p.m. on that Wednesday afternoon, inclement weather threatened to undo it all. With a band of severe rain approaching, the Hall made contingency plans. The show would go on, but if the afternoon featured heavy rain, it would have to be held indoors without fans.

Six days prior to the ceremony, and before the forecast worsened, Jeter participated in a virtual press conference. He was asked how much he was looking forward to the induction.

“I don’t want to jinx anything,” he said. “I’m hoping it happens next week. You know, there are so many things going on in the world that I’m knocking on wood. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m looking forward to getting up there.”

***

For the most part, Main Street in Cooperstown had that familiar induction day feeling on the morning of Sept. 8. Rain may have been a few hours away, but at 10 a.m., a cool breeze swept through the village, and the sun was out. A few hundred fans were milling around, ducking into memorabilia shops and the Hall of Fame, and perusing merchandise on the sidewalks outside of the storefronts.

Several tents were set up on both sides of the street, and underneath each one, fans could find every style of T-shirt imaginable, along with jerseys, hats and other keepsakes. Just about every item commemorated Jeter. For as great as Walker was during his 17-year career in the National League, finding a shirt or hat with the name of the three-time batting champion on it anywhere but in the official Hall of Fame store was virtually impossible. The same could be said for Simmons.

Even the stores that don’t normally sell baseball-related items found it necessary to entice customers with Jeter items. Along an alleyway that separates Main Street from Doubleday Field -- the historic ballpark that hosted the annual Hall of Fame Game from 1940 to 2007, and which continues to host the Hall of Fame Classic on Memorial Day Weekend -- Cooper Country Crafts resides. At 10:30 a.m., only two customers were inside this land of candles, blown glass, Christmas ornaments and pottery, but they were only interested in one item: a dark blue Derek Jeter apron, hanging next to the front door.

About a three-minute walk from the Hall, the tiny Cooperstown Diner was filled with people, and there were another 20 or so would-be patrons waiting outside for a table. A few feet from there, Schneider’s Bakery was packed, just as many of the local restaurants were the night before.

But that’s where the similarities to previous inductions ended.

In ceremonies held prior to this year’s, the baseball world converged on Cooperstown in late July. When Joe Torre was inducted in 2014 and when Rivera and fellow Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina followed suit in 2019, scorching temperatures swept through the state. The cool September air in upstate New York for Jeter’s induction made for a far more comfortable day.

Another stark contrast from years past came in the form of fans. Besides the fact that the normally packed streets were less congested, the great majority of people in Cooperstown were all wearing the same color: Yankees blue.

“It’s remarkable,” Rivera said during an autograph signing that morning on Main Street. “I thought I had a lot of people who came out for my induction two years ago. But this time, everyone who is here is here for Derek. I think nine out of 10 people are wearing shirts with his name.”

As morning turned to afternoon, several restaurants on Main Street began serving lunch in a somewhat non-traditional way. Just like the merchandise stores, popular eateries such as Nicoletta’s Italian Cafe and Doubleday Cafe set up shop on the sidewalk. Before making the mile-long walk along Susquehanna Avenue to the Clark Sports Center for the ceremony, fans grabbed everything from hamburgers and hot dogs to sausage-and-pepper sandwiches.

***

The scene at the Clark Sports Center as the start of the ceremony drew closer had the feel of a signature event. Underneath a giant white canopy sat the stage where history would soon take place. A line leading to the ticketed area directly in front of the stage extended several hundred yards back toward the spot where the Susquehanna River flows beneath the street. The huge grass expanse behind the reserved seating area -- which is usually filled with tens of thousands of people -- was already occupied by a few thousand spectators spread out across the field.

While the reserved section filled up, family members and invited guests of the inductees arrived via luxury buses and were escorted through a back entrance. Among those in town to celebrate the shortstop’s accomplishments were Jeter’s wife and two young daughters, his parents, his sister, his nephew and his grandmother.

Sports luminaries Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, along with former Yankees Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, CC Sabathia, Luis Sojo, Gerald Williams, Willie Randolph and Alfonso Soriano were also in attendance.

Before taking his seat, Posada spoke about the importance of the ceremony taking place in front of fans.

“I’m super excited,” he said. “We have experienced tough times in the last two years, so to have all of these people here in Cooperstown again is very special. I was hoping this could happen the right way. We needed everyone to be here.”

The five-time All-Star catcher also discussed what made his close friend stand out from his peers throughout a 20-year career.

“He wanted to win more than anyone else,” Posada said. “He competed every day, and he never made excuses. He was the most well-rounded player I have ever been around.”

Martinez -- whose arrival in New York coincided with Jeter’s rookie season, and who won four World Series in his first five Yankees campaigns -- also shed light on Jeter’s championship-level mindset.

“He prepared himself every day to be at his best,” Martinez said. “I really can’t think of anyone who did that as consistently as Derek, and I played alongside so many incredible players, so many guys who were great competitors and who were focused on winning. But Derek came to the ballpark every day with a smile on his face. He was never tired. He went out and played hard every day. He was a great leader, vocally and quietly.”

With the sun still shining at 1:30 p.m., Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark stepped up to the microphone on the stage and got things underway.

“The greatest things in life are worth waiting for,” she began. “And this is certainly worth waiting for. On this wonderful afternoon in Cooperstown, we are so excited to induct four legends. Everyone in the Hall of Fame has had an incredible baseball career. They define the greatness of the game with their character, with their integrity and with their sportsmanship. They are our legends.”

A few minutes later, Forbes Clark turned it over to MLB Network’s Brian Kenny, who served as the master of ceremonies.

“It’s a pleasure to be with you for the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,” Kenny said. “We’ve been postponed; we’ve been pushed back. But we persevered, and we’re not here virtually. We’re here physically. Welcome to Cooperstown this year. For all of you kids out there, mom and dad were right: You can go to school tomorrow.”

Kenny then began to introduce the 31 Hall of Famers in attendance, who proceeded to take their places on the stage. Among the Cooperstown legends that were there were former Yankees Rivera, Torre, Goose Gossage, Mussina, Wade Boggs and Reggie Jackson, who wore a No. 2 Derek Jeter jersey.

Kenny next introduced the class of 2020, beginning with Simmons and ending with Jeter. As Kenny began to read a list of The Captain’s accomplishments -- most notably his five World Series championships and his 3,465 career hits, good for sixth all-time -- the crowd began to roar.

Jeter, a 14-time American League All-Star, was followed to the stage by his longtime teammate Bernie Williams, now an accomplished jazz guitarist. The former center fielder was joined by saxophonist Richie Cannata in performing the national anthem.

“It means a lot to be here to support Derek and to be here for his induction ceremony,” Williams said earlier in the day. “It’s an honor to be here among the elite, the legends of the game. Now I get a chance to take it full circle and play my guitar and do my artistic creativity.”

Williams also reflected on the start of Jeter’s Major League career, which began when Williams was in his fifth season.

“He was very young when he came up,” Williams said. “He was always like a sponge, trying to learn everything. He found his comfort zone, won the 1996 American League Rookie of the Year Award, and the rest is history. Before we knew it, he became the leader of the team.”

Torre came up to the podium after the national anthem to pay homage to the Hall of Famers who had passed away since the previous induction ceremony in 2019.

“It’s really hard to imagine that we lost 10 members of the Hall of Fame family,” Torre said about the group of fallen legends that included Yankees pitching great Whitey Ford and baseball’s longtime home run king, Hank Aaron. “These guys were not only legends of the game, but they were also very special individuals. They were dear friends to me, guys I played with and against, guys we all had the utmost respect for.”

A moving video tribute narrated by Hall of Famer Johnny Bench came next, and that was followed by a moment of silence. When the somber pause ended, the crowd on the lawn began a familiar chant.

“Der-ek! Je-ter!” the fans shouted as Kenny got back to the microphone.

But before that, Simmons, Miller -- who was represented by longtime MLB Players Association head Donald Fehr -- and Walker would have their time in the sun.

As Walker gave his induction speech, the sun began to disappear, as did the puffy white clouds and the blue sky. A black cloud moved quickly from left to right, ultimately hovering over the stage until Jeter’s moment came.

Nearly seven years after Jeter played the final game of his career at Fenway Park on Sept. 28, 2014, and 19 months after he earned the largest share of votes for a position player in history -- 99.7 percent -- it was finally time for The Captain to officially become a Hall of Famer.

At 3:39 p.m., a video tribute narrated by Williams was shown on the giant screen to the left of the stage.

“When you talk about the quintessential Yankees, you talk about [Babe] Ruth, [Lou] Gehrig, [Mickey] Mantle and [Joe] DiMaggio,” Williams said at the end of the video. “Derek is right there. I’m just so proud to say that he was my teammate, and that I played with him for so many years. He has remained the same. He still answers my phone calls; he’s still a great guy. But that moment in time when he played at his best should be celebrated. He’s well deserving of this great honor.”

“As chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it is my honor, Derek, to welcome you into the Hall of Fame family and ask the commissioner to read the inscription on your plaque,” Forbes Clark followed.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred then read the words on the plaque, and with the crowd again chanting The Captain’s name, Jeter stepped up to the podium donning a dark blue suit and sporting a light beard.

“I forgot how good that feels,” Jeter began.

About a minute later, a light rain began to cool off the crowd. As Jeter began to acknowledge the many people in his life, he added some levity by referencing the anonymous voter who kept him from joining Rivera as the only Hall of Famers in history to be elected unanimously.

“Thank you to the baseball writers,” Jeter said with a smile. “All but one of you.”

From there, Jeter’s speech became even more impactful as he spoke about his family.

“I’m on this stage as the result of the love and support of countless people,” he said. “For me, the love of the game and the success I had playing it starts and ends with family. I was first introduced to competition and the game of baseball by my dad. I vividly remember going to watch him play shortstop for his corporate softball team. I don’t think I ever told him this, but I was amazed by how good he was and how he stood out above everyone else. He was my first idol. I wanted to be my dad. He sat me down and educated me on the history of baseball, and how to play, and more importantly, how to win. Then he would pull out his scrapbook from college to prove to me that he knew what he was talking about. Now, there’s a lot of people listening, so I’m not going to divulge how many pages were in that scrapbook.

“I fell in love with the Yankees when I was watching games with my grandmother, Dorothy Connors, in West Milford, New Jersey,” Jeter continued. “I played Wiffle ball in her yard in full Yankee pinstripes, pretending to be Dave Winfield. I did break a window occasionally, but she was all right with it.”

From his grandmother’s house to the home he grew up in hundreds of miles away in Kalamazoo, Mich., family and baseball remained intertwined in Jeter’s life.

“When I got a little older, we would jump the fence from our house in Michigan and walk to the field at Kalamazoo Central High School,” said Jeter, who would finish his big league career with five Gold Glove Awards at shortstop. “We would practice as a family. My dad pitched. My mom and my sister, Sharlee, shagged in the outfield. That’s how we bonded as a family, and quite frankly, that’s how I got better. But it was more than just practice. It was about the lessons that my parents taught me.”

Glancing down at his parents who were seated in the front row, Jeter addressed each of them.

“Mom, you taught me that any dream is attainable as long as you work harder than everyone else,” he said. “You drilled that into my head over and over, and you led me to believe it. You told me never to make excuses, and you wouldn’t allow me to use the word ‘can’t.’ You show up to work, you stay positive, and good things will happen. And ultimately, it’s going to rub off on other people.

“Dad, you’ve always been the voice of reason,” he continued. “You taught me to be patient, to listen and think before I speak. You’ve always been there for advice, and to this day, you are the first person I go to. Both of you convinced me that I could achieve absolutely anything if I set my mind to it and if it meant more to me than anyone else. You taught me to prove people wrong, and to this day, I remember every time I was doubted. I made, and I still do make, a mental note of it. It’s what drove me, and it still drives me today.”

While thanking members of the Yankees front office, as well as the former managers, coaches and teammates that helped him earn baseball immortality, Jeter shared a funny anecdote about Mr. October.

“Whenever Reggie Jackson would spend time with the team, I would call him over to my locker,” Jeter said. “We would go back and forth, and I would get on him. Reggie would say, ‘You’re not a Hall of Famer yet.’ Well, I guess I can get on you now.”

Jeter credited the late George Steinbrenner for the most important accomplishment of his career.

“Being able to play parts of 23 seasons with one organization, the only organization I ever wanted to play for, is because of The Boss and the Steinbrenner family,” Jeter said. “I had success because The Boss and I had a shared mindset; the only thing that mattered to us was winning. I had one goal during my career, and that was to win more than everyone else. We did.”

As Jeter’s speech neared its conclusion, it became apparent that the weather was going to hold out. The rain had stopped, and the sky had brightened, at least for a short while.

Through recent months, Jeter had been outspoken about his desire for Yankees fans to be in attendance. After so many twists and turns, they were able to be there, and he wasn’t going to pass up the chance to address this most important fraternity directly.

“There was only one thing in my life that I wanted to be, and that was the shortstop for the New York Yankees,” Jeter said. “And now I’m a Yankee forever. Without question, you helped me get here as much as any individual I mentioned. You can’t be fooled. You’re passionate, loyal, knowledgeable, vocal, challenging and supportive. There’s a huge responsibility that comes with wearing a Yankees uniform. Just because you have it on, it doesn’t guarantee you anything. You have to earn it. You demanded that I earn it. I was always most comfortable on the field, especially at Yankee Stadium, playing in front of you. I always wanted you to be able to count on me. In this moment, I still represent you, and it’s been one of the greatest honors of my life.”

In the end, Jeter brought it back to family; in particular, the three people who weren’t yet in his life when he played -- his wife, Hannah, and his daughters, Bella and Story.

“This day puts an exclamation point on my playing career, which was my first dream,” he said. “Through you all, with you all, I’m living another one. Hannah, I couldn’t be luckier that our paths crossed when they did. There’s been nothing in my life more fulfilling than building our family and our future together.

“During my career, I always wanted to make my family proud,” he continued. “Bella and Story, I want you to know that your dad was far from perfect. I made my fair share of mistakes on and off the field. But through it all, I tried to do the right thing. I found something I was passionate about, and I worked harder than anyone else at it. I have zero regrets from my career, other than the fact that I didn’t get to share it with you. But what I will share is my story, most of which won’t be about what I accomplished on the field, but rather the lessons I learned off of it. I hope I always make you proud. For so many years, I tried my best to represent New York and the Yankees organization in the best light possible. Now, I represent you. You have your futures ahead of you. I want you to dream big, and believe it. Know that I’m here to support you, guide you, protect you, and most importantly, I’m here to love you.”

Thirty minutes after Jeter wrapped up his speech, the skies opened up. Rain poured down on Cooperstown as Jeter’s plaque was hung next to Rivera’s in the Hall of Fame’s most prestigious room, the plaque gallery.

Through his own admission, Jeter was not perfect. But just like the great shortstop, the day that he received baseball’s ultimate honor was as close to perfect as anyone could have imagined.