Baseball fans leave Doubleday Field as a thunderstorm forced the cancellation of the Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Monday. (Mike Groll/Associated Press)A thunderstorm drenched historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Monday, forcing the cancellation of the final Hall of Fame Game.
Despite a determined effort to play the exhibition game between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs, officials finally called it off just after 2:30 p.m. ET after the storm pelted the field with rain and bursts of hail.
The sellout crowd of nearly 10,000 was eligible for a refund.
Major League Baseball announced in late January that this would be the final Hall of Fame Game because of scheduling problems. It was the last remaining exhibition game on the major league schedule.
"We hope that the wonderful fans of central New York can understand the practical considerations that contributed to this decision," MLB president and chief operating officer Bob DuPuy said. "Cooperstown remains a beacon for our national pastime. We will continue to work with the hall to find ways to promote it and Cooperstown throughout our season."
Between 1940 and 1978, the game was played on the same Sunday induction ceremonies took place. Until 2002, the game was played the Monday after inductions, with a separate date taking place for the past six years.
Former relief pitching great Rich (Goose) Gossage will be the lone player inducted into the Hall on July 27, with his former San Diego Dick Williams among five selected by the veterans committee. The others are Barney Dreyfuss, Bowie Kuhn, Walter O'Malley, and Billy Southworth.
