Induction Weekend Tops Cooperstown Calendar
PLUS: DESPITE THEIR AGE, INCUMBENT HALL OF FAMERS COULD BEAT CURRENT ALL-STARS
Pregame Pepper
Kudos to the Boston Red Sox for rolling out a 15-game winning streak, tops in the majors this year, and tying the 1946 team mark for most consecutive wins . . .
Boston’s return to contender status in the American League East almost certainly means it will keep much-coveted starting pitcher Sonny Gray past the Aug. 3 trade deadline . . .
Gray makes his home in Nashville, a four-hour drive from Atlanta, and might have waived his no-trade clause for a trade to the Braves . . .
The AL East race tilted toward the Bronx Wednesday night when Max Fried returned from a two-month layoff to throw five one-hit innings against the hard-hitting Pirates at Yankee Stadium in a 2-0 win . . .
It marked the first time Fried and Gerrit Cole have been in Aaron Boone’s rotation together since the lefty joined the Yankees as a free agent before last season . . .
Although there’s no timeline for the return of injured Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, Boone says fellow slugger Gioncarlo Stanton is slated to return soon . . .
A warm welcome to Mark Cuban, who is buying a piece of the Athletics and is likely to become full-time owner of that franchise before it reaches Las Vegas in 2028.
Leading Off
Great Weekend on Tap in Cooperstown
By Dan Schlossberg
This is my favorite weekend on the baseball calendar.
Although the three-man Class of 2026 won’t be incucted until tomorrow — in free-in-person televised proceedings — the four-night weekend actually began Thursday.
That was arrival day for inductees Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran, and Jeff Kent, not to mention 58 incumbent Hall of Famers led by 90-year-old Sandy Koufax.
No Hall of Fame weekend has ever drawn such a big crowd of immortals.
Andruw Jones alone is pulling along a raft full of Braves-centric celebrities, including fellow Hall of Famers Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz plus former Braves manager Brian Snitker and long-time Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone. John Schuerholz is too frail to travel and Bobby Cox passed away a few months ago.
For once, the weather is expected to cooperate, with high, dry blue skies, morning and evening chills, and little chance the Sunday ceremonies will be interrupted by thunder.
With only three new members, ceremonies shouldn’t last more than two hours. Then crowds will scatter, with up-for-the-day drivers headed south and out-of-town visitors headed to points east, including Albany.
Sports Travel and Tours, official tour operator of the Hall of Fame, houses patrons at the Albany Marriott, the largest and closest property to the airport, and brings them back and forth to Cooperstown on motor coaches — more commonly called buses.
During their full day in town Saturday, they can meet numerous players, pose for pictures, and collect autographs on cards, caps, pictures, or plain pieces of paper.
Watch out for Maddux: his signature is usually the most illegible of all.
With Main Street closed to pedestrians Saturday, free parking is restricted to several side lots, with trolleys bridging the short gap to town.
Parking is even more difficult at Clark Sports Center, site of the Sunday inductions, although Doubleday Field might have a few spots for the Monday Roundtable that officially closes the weekend.
Unofficially, the inductions themselves are like Baseball Woodstock. Admission is free and guests in all sorts of baseball garb pack the expansive fields behind the Clark Sports Center. When a Latino player is inducted, natives of his country wave flags, ring bells, and create frenetic cheering sessions in multiple languages.
There are two this year, with Jones the first native of Curacao to reach Cooperstown and Beltran representing Puerto Rico.
HtP weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ has covered every Induction Weekend since 2014. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Cleaning Up
Incumbent Hall of Famers Could Beat Current All-Stars
By Dan Schlossberg
The 58 incumbent Hall of Famers scheduled to come to Cooperstown this weekend could have put on a far better show than any of the current players.
It’s important to remember that age is a matter of mind; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
With defending MVPs Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge on the sidelines, the American League scored three in the top of the first, then only one more run the rest of the night.
And in the Citizens Park bandbox to boot!
Consider what the returning All-Stars might have done — even at their advanced athletic age.
Here’s a hypothetical batting order:
Tim Raines, LF
Ichiro Suzuki, CF
Chipper Jones, 3B
Edgar Martinez, DH
Johnny Bench, C
Reggie Jackson, RF
Fred McGriff, 1B
Cal Ripken Jr., SS
Rod Carew, 2B
Such a lineup would leave former MVPs Jim Rice, George Brett, Mike Schmidt, and Jeff Bagwell on the bench, along with Mike Piazza, Dave Winfield, David (Big Papi) Ortiz, and Robin Yount, who won MVP awards at two different positions.
And what about pitching? How about opening with Pedro Martinez, who still looks like he could pitch, and following with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, the feisty Atlanta trio?
Rollie Fingers and Goose Gossage would be closers, along with Mariano Rivera, the Hall’s only unanimous electee, and converted starter Dennis Eckersley.
There’d be no room in this lineup for any of the three new Hall of Famers — Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran, and Jeff Kent — or for such luminaries as Ken Griffey, Jr. and Derek Jeter.
Guaranteed that somebody out there is going to quarrel with these selections, which only include the living Hall of Famers attending this weekend.
But speculation and controversy are the heart and soul of the game.
I, for one, am looking forward to seeing every one of the incumbents walk onto the stage in dress clothes rather than uniforms or Hall of Fame shirts. Their faces are etched into memory for all time, at least among true fans of the game.
Too bad there’s not a single 2026 All-Star who merits such designation.
HtP weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers baseball for Lucas Communications, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Memories & Dreams, and a myriad of other outlets. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Extra Innings: On Trade Deadline
Just when it looked like the Miami Marlins were emerging as an unexpected contender in the NL East, the Fish started to smell, with a long losing streak pushing them back to seller status . . .
But that doesn’t mean they’ll trade Sandy Alcantara . . .
Nor is it likely the Nationals will move All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams, whose power at the plate supersedes his often-iffy defense . . .
Multiple contenders are pursuing righty-hitting outfielders, with Jo Adell of the Angels virtually certain to be moved . . .
With a flock of top farm prospects and a pitching staff devastated by injuries to Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and more recently Shohei Ohtani’s knee issue, the Los Angeles Dodgers will plunge into the trade market before the Aug. 3 deadline . . .
Look for the Mets to be the most active trader after a listless season that has them buried at the bottom of the NL East . . .
The cross-town Yankees, seeking bullpen and shortstop health, will also be busy, as GM Brian Cashman’s history indicates — not to mention the tight AL East race.
Know Your Editors
Here’s the Pitch is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.
KNOW YOUR EDITORS
Here’s the Pitch is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.