Find Your Team’s Starting Nine at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

A celebration of America’s pastime, The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a can’t-miss destination for any baseball fan. Conveniently located in the small town of Cooperstown, N.Y., it’s perfect for a road trip.

The Baseball Hall of Fame began in 1936 with the inaugural class of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner. Three years later, the building in Cooperstown followed. It is now recognized as one of the top sports shrines in the world, and the home of baseball history.

Currently on view, visitors are challenged to come and take on the Hall of Fame Starting Nine. The scavenger hunt is an exciting and interactive way to explore the museum’s three floors and 40,000 baseball artifacts as you hunt to find nine carefully curated, historic items from your favorite team.

Experience the Starting Nine at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Relive your team’s history. Make the scenic trip to Cooperstown to experience these must-see artifacts.

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Here are a few of the items you can spot from each of our local teams:

Boston Red Sox

• Carlton Fisk’s 1975 World Series home run bat. It was the 12th inning of game six when Fisk swung teammate Rick Burleson’s bat and won the game with a walk-off run that that would take the Red Sox into the final game of the series, giving them a fighting chance against the Reds.

• Pedro Martínez’s 1999 All-Star Game jersey.

• The fan-funded silver trophy awarded to “The King of Pitchers,” veteran Red Sox pitcher Cy Young in 1908.

New York Mets

• Dwight Gooden’s jersey, worn in 1984 when he set a rookie record with 276 strikeouts and won National League Rookie of the Year.

• The cap worn by Mets pitcher Tom Seaver on April 22, 1970, when he struck out a total of 19 Padres batters, 10 of which were consecutive – a record that still stands.

• David Wright’s final game helmet.

New York Yankees

• Babe Ruth’s home run record crown. The silver trophy was presented by fans and comes adorned with 59 baseballs representing each home run hit by the slugger during the 1921 season.

• Rare 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card.

• Aaron Judge’s home run jersey, worn on Sept. 18, 2017, when he hit his 44^th home run as a rookie. He would go on to set a rookie record with 52 homers by the end of the season and was named American League Rookie of the Year.

Favorite team not in the Northeast? There is a Starting Nine for each of the 30 MLB teams. You can choose your team online or at the museum to make sure you see everything you want.

Induction Ceremony

A place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame is baseball’s highest honor. With the annual Induction Ceremony being canceled last year due to the pandemic, this year’s event will honor the members of the 2020 class, which includes Yankees fan-favorite Derek Jeter.

The 2021 Induction Ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8, as an outdoor ticketed event with limited crowds and will also be broadcast live on the MLB Network.

Even if you can’t make it for the Hall of Fame Weekend festivities this summer, now is a great time to start planning your visit to Cooperstown. The Hall of Fame Starting Nine is only running through the end of the year.

Plan your visit today.