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The National Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend begins Friday, 7/24 in Cooperstown, with this year’s celebration built around Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent.
The three former stars will receive their plaques Sunday afternoon at the Clark Sports Center. The ceremony starts at 1:30 p.m. ET, admission is free and MLB Network will televise it live.
2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees
Beltran was the leading vote-getter in January, appearing on 84.2% of ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Jones followed at 78.4%. Players need 75% for election.
Kent was already part of the class by then. The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee elected him in December after he received 14 votes from its 16 members.
Beltran’s selection came in his fourth year of eligibility. He retired with 2,725 hits, 435 home runs and 312 stolen bases, though his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal slowed his path to Cooperstown. He drew just 46.5% support when he first appeared on the ballot.
Few candidates have climbed as far as Jones. The longtime Atlanta Braves center fielder received 7.3% in 2018, placing him barely above the cutoff for returning the following year. His support grew as voters took another look at a career that included 434 home runs and 10 consecutive Gold Gloves.
Kent had no such surge with the writers. He remained on the ballot for the maximum 10 years and never received more than 46.5%. The committee offered another judgment of his career. Kent’s resume includes the 2000 National League MVP Award, 2,461 hits and 377 home runs.
What else will happen in Cooperstown this weekend?
Sunday’s ceremony is only part of the weekend.
Joe Buck will receive the Ford C. Frick Award during Saturday’s awards presentation. Paul Hoynes, who has covered Cleveland baseball for decades, will accept the BBWAA Career Excellence Award. Former player, broadcaster and National League president Bill White will receive the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.
Rick Monday is also scheduled to be recognized. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the afternoon he prevented two protesters from setting fire to an American flag at Dodger Stadium.
Fans will see considerably more than the three newest members. The Hall expects 58 returning inductees, bringing the total attendance to a record 61 Hall of Famers. Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Pedro Martínez and Randy Johnson are among those scheduled to make the trip.
The weekend begins Friday, followed by the awards and Parade of Legends on Saturday. Beltran, Jones and Kent take the stage Sunday, ending three Hall of Fame waits that unfolded very differently.
Cooperstown: Nearly a century of baseball history
The Hall has called Cooperstown home since it opened in 1939, when the first induction ceremony brought thousands of fans to the small New York village. Baseball was not actually invented there, despite the old Abner Doubleday story that helped put Cooperstown on the map. The location stuck, however, and generations of players have since made the same summer trip to accept a plaque and officially join the game’s history.
Fans can watch Beltran, Jones and Kent become the latest members of that group when the induction ceremony airs Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
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