Press Release: Hall of Fame Honors Veterans Memorial Day Weekend in Cooperstown

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 14, 2026

-- Veterans Receive Complimentary Museum Admission on May 23 with  Purchase of Ticket to Hall of Fame Military Classic -- (COOPERSTOWN, NY) – As the National Baseball Hall of Fame honors the game’s longtime connection to the military, veterans will have the chance to explore all the history the Museum has to offer.    The Hall of Fame Military Classic Presented by New Era will be held Saturday, May 23, at historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown. Seven Hall of Famers and 25 big league stars will participate in the seven-inning legends game during Memorial Day Weekend festivities that will celebrate America’s 250th birthday.   All veterans who purchase tickets for the Hall of Fame Military Classic will receive an equal number of Museum passes, good for Saturday, May 23. As always, active military members and 20-year retired career military receive free admission to the Museum every day of the year.   The Museum tells the story of the link between baseball and the military through exhibits, photos and documents throughout the 60,000 feet of exhibit space. The Plaque Gallery features medallions celebrating the 70 Hall of Famers who interrupted their baseball careers to serve in the military, and those 70 legends are honored by the USS Cooperstown, a United States Navy littoral combat ship named for those players, managers, umpires and executives.   Hall of Famers Wade Boggs, Rollie Fingers, Todd Helton, Fergie Jenkins, Tony La Russa, Jack Morris and Scott Rolen will serve as managers and coaches at the Hall of Fame Military Classic, with a pregame hitting contest prior to the game that will be just a part of the family-fun offerings at the home of baseball.   The Hall of Fame Military Classic: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice will feature former big leaguers Jeremy Affeldt, Nick Ahmed, Al Bumbry, Charlie Culberson, Ryan Dempster, Mark Dewey, Jonny Gomes, Mitch Harris, Edwin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Jonathan Lucroy, Kevin Mench, Rick Monday, Charlie Morton, Daniel Murphy, Jake Peavy, Curtis Pride, Josh Reddick, Zach Reks, David Robertson, Chris Rowley, Shane Spencer, Alex Wilson, Todd Zeile and Brad Ziegler. Fueled by assistance from Major League Baseball, Team Stars will take on Team Stripes in the return of a Memorial Day Weekend legends game in Cooperstown.   The family-fun activities begin when gates open at 11 a.m., and the pregame home run hitting contest will begin at noon, followed by the 1 p.m. game. Activities will include a bounce house/slide, balloon artists, face painting, food and beverage options from local food trucks and music and giveaways, including a free 24-page commemorative program magazine. Children 12-and-under can Race Around the Bases following the game.   American flags will be given to the first 2,500 fans in attendance, with a 75-foot by 150-foot field-sized flag on display as part of the pregame festivities. Also on display will be banners from the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation honoring Hall of Famers who served during World War II.   As part of the Museum’s celebration, the flag Rick Monday rescued at Dodger Stadium on April 25, 1976, will be on exhibit at the Hall of Fame beginning Memorial Day Weekend, and Monday will participate in the Hall of Fame Military Classic. California-based artist Dave Hobrecht will recreate Monday’s famous flag rescue by live painting the iconic scene for visitors while at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum during Memorial Day Weekend.   Award-winning announcer Gary Thorne, who served with the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps in the 1970s, will lend his voice to the day as the public address announcer. Thorne served as the emcee of the annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on eight occasions. The Louisville Slugger Warriors amputee baseball team will have four representatives on the roster as well as head coach Curtis Pride, who overcame hearing loss en route to an 11-year career in the big leagues, and coach Kevin Mench, an eight-year big league veteran. The Louisville Slugger Warriors are a competitive amputee baseball team that consists of U.S. Military Veterans, Active Duty personnel, Wounded Warriors and current and former amputee college baseball players. They have suffered either loss of limb, partial limb, digits, eye and serious limb deformities. Others have prostheses due to congenital, disease, or trauma-related reasons.   Brittany Apgar and Alyssa Zettlemoyer, who will play in the Women’s Pro Baseball League historic debut season this summer, will also suit up for the Hall of Fame Military Classic.   Tickets for the Hall of Fame Military Classic are on sale now online or at 1-888-325-0470 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.   Memorial Day Weekend in Cooperstown will also feature the Hall of Fame’s popular Night at the Ballpark program. Hall of Fame legends and former players will greet fans throughout Doubleday Field on Saturday, May 23, beginning at 6 p.m., with Hall of Famers participating alongside other former major league stars. While the Night at the Ballpark program is not an autograph session, fans should remember to bring their camera to capture their special memories.   Tickets for Night at the Ballpark are on sale now priced at $100 each and limited to 12 tickets per order. Click here to reserve tickets.   The Cooperstown Classic Clinic for children aged 7-12 will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22, at Doubleday Field. Hall of Fame Military Classic participants will lead the Clinic, with registration information available here.   For more information on Memorial Day Weekend programming, please visit baseballhall.org/hofclassic.   The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an independent nonprofit educational institution, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime. Opening its doors for the first time on June 12, 1939, the Hall of Fame has stood as the definitive repository of the game’s treasures and as a symbol of the most profound individual honor bestowed on an athlete. It is every fan’s “Field of Dreams,” with its stories, legends and magic shared from generation to generation.