Hall of Fame welcomes Class of 2022

The winds blew strong through Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday, with the threat of a thunderstorm looming. And so the ceremony on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center celebrating the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 was slightly truncated, with the typical video tributes cut so that the speeches could be completed without being interrupted by rain.

But for a class that is evidence of the winds of change that have blown through baseball over the decades, the conditions were appropriate. That the class was headlined by David Ortiz, a native of the Dominican Republic who developed into one of the most feared sluggers in history, spoke to the sport’s reach and representation. It’s a story that weaves its way through the Class of ’22, tracing back through the generations to include Golden Days and Early Baseball Era committee inductees Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat, and the late Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Minnie Miñoso and Buck O’Neil.