Baseball has one of its more celebrated weekends approaching, as the four newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York will be inducted on Sunday, July 26th, the apex of a four-day celebration of events and programs to honor baseball’s best.
From July 24th-27th, baseball’s Hall of Fame Weekend includes a Ford C. Frick Award dinner, Parade of Legends, Legends of the Game Roundtable discussion event and much more. Hall of Famers from previous induction classes will be on hand to honor this year’s Class of 2015. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America have chosen Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz to be part of this year’s induction class.
According to the event’s website, admission to the induction ceremony is free and lawn seating is a first-come, first-served basis. Albany hotel deals can be booked on Hipmunk.com starting from $59 for those flying into the New York airports to take in the Hall of Fame ceremonies. Cheap tickets on Hipmunk can be found no matter the starting point of the trip. Albany is about 70 miles from the baseball history paradise that is Cooperstown.
Craig Biggio is considered the best player in Astros history, reaching the postseason six straight times including a 2005 World Series appearance. Biggio ranks sixth in National League history in games played, fifth in at-bats, eighth in hits and seventh in runs scored. The seven-time All-Star won four Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Slugger Awards, is a member of the 3,000-hit club and has his No. 7 retired by the team.
Randy Johnson, “The Big Unit”, is a member of the 300-win club that included 10 All-Star Game appearances, five Cy Young Awards and a World Series Championship in 2001 where he was awarded co-MVP honors along with Curt Schilling. Johnson earned a pitching Triple Crown during the 2002 season, leading the league in ERA, strikeouts and wins.
Pedro Martinez was the most dominant pitcher in a time where offense reigned supreme. Martinez finished with a 219-100 record, a career 2.93 ERA and 3,154 strikeouts. He had eight All-Star appearances (MVP 1999), won three Cy Young Awards and won the pitching Triple Crown in 1999. Along with all the personal accomplishments, Martinez won a World Series Championship with the Boston Red Sox in 2004.
Lastly, whether it was as a starter or a closer, John Smoltz had success. He is the only pitcher in baseball history to have more than 200 wins and over 150 saves, and is the second player to have a 20-win season and a 50-save season. Smoltz won a World Series Championship in 2005, went to eight All-Star games and was the Cy Young Award winner in 1996.
