Home run! Baseball Hall of Fame inducts Derek Jeter and more after year-long delay
Cooperstown, New York – It was "Batter up" for Derek Jeter, as the Baseball Hall of Fame finally inducted the iconic Yankees shortstop to its ranks, who headlined this year's delayed ceremony.
"De-rek Je-ter!" echoed chants in Cooperstown, New York on Wednesday afternoon.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its class of 2020, legends Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons, and Larry Walker.
The event hosted an outdoor ceremony at the Clark Sports Center unlike any other induction, after being postponed from last summer due to the pandemic. Subsequently, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) chose not to nominate any inductees for 2021.
The ceremony was originally pushed to this July, but was again delayed to allow more time for spectators to receive the vaccine.
Past Hall of Famers were in attendance, although less than in previous years. All-time catcher Johnny Bench was absent, after announcing last week he had contracted Covid-19 via a breakthrough case.
Non-baseball sports greats Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing joined in the festivities, as Bernie Williams – Jeter’s former Yankees teammate – performed the national anthem on guitar.
"It's more than a game," Jeter said in a speech as he was inducted. "I wanted to make all you behind me proud. Not of statistics. Proud of how I played the game, how I carried myself, and how I respected the game and those before and after me."
"It's been one of the greatest honors of my life," he added of his time representing New York on the field.
Jeter played for the Yankees for all 20 of his MLB seasons and is a 14-time All-Star. Fellow inductees Walker is the Colorado Rockies’ very first Hall of Famer, and Simmons hold the second all-time career hits record among primary catchers.
Miller was inducted posthumously, after passing away in 2012 at age 95. CBS Sports called him "one of the most influential baseball figures in the history of the game."
Players are eligible to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame by being elected by at least 75% of voting members of either the BBWAA or a veteran committee, in this case the Modern Baseball Era Committee, according to MLB.com.
Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo