National Baseball Hall Of Fame Closing Indefinitely Because Of The Coronavirus

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is closing to the public indefinitely because of the coronavirus.

The famous red-bricked edifice on Main Street in the heart of Cooperstown, New York, will shutter effectively at 5 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday, the regular closing hour this time of year.

The decision comes just days after Major League Baseball canceled the remainder of spring training and delayed the March 26 start of the regular season at least two weeks. 

That decision to stop playing baseball occurred just after every other professional sports league stopped or delayed play and the NCAA canceled March Madness, plus all post-season tournaments.

According to the Hall: “This precautionary measure is being implemented in accordance with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and government officials to limit opportunities for large gatherings and the further spread of the COVID-19 virus.

 “The Hall of Fame will provide updated information regarding this closure on each subsequent Sunday at Noon ET beginning March 22. These updates will be shared at baseballhall.org and via the Hall of Fame’s social media channels.”

The closing of the museum itself doesn’t yet affect this year’s major events in Cooperstown:

The May 23 annual Hall of Fame Classic or induction weekend slated for July 24-27.

Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late labor leader Marvin Miller are all slated to be inducted July 26 behind the Clark Sports Center.

“We focused current discussions on the museum itself,” a Hall spokesman said in a text message when reached Saturday. “Conversations about future events will take place in due time. But for now we are continuing the planning process for an exciting induction weekend.”

The Hall’s closing comes during the end of the winter, which is its slowest time of year.

According to the Hall, 275,000 visitors entered the museum last year. Historically, 90 percent of that attendance accrues during the summer months.

Last July’s induction, headlined by New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, drew 55,000 people to Cooperstown, the second largest crowd for that ceremony coming to see the first candidate elected unanimously by eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

This year’s throng is expected to exceed that figure what with Yankees fans coming from New York to see Jeter, who missed unanimous election earlier this year by one vote, and baseball fans flooding in from Canada where Walker played the first six seasons of his 17-year career as a beloved member of the now departed Montreal Expos.

The Hall of Fame Classic is in its 12th year and is staged at historic Doubleday Field. It includes a home run hitting contest and a game between recently retired Major League players, managed by Hall of Famers.