Who is playing in the Hall of Fame East-West Classic: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game?
Baseball fans are in for a historic night on Saturday in Cooperstown, when a multitude of legends come together to honor the Black baseball experience.
On Saturday, May 25th, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will host the Hall of Fame East-West Classic. Presented by Boeing, the game stands as a tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game and will be played at the legendary Doubleday Field. With patronage from MLB itself, the event will feature some 14 Hall of Famers as coaches and more than two dozen former big league players in a seven-inning legends game.
Who will play in the East-West Classic?
Off the bat, we’ve got to highlight those who were only recently added to the pool of players. Namely, Hall of Famers Pat Gillick and Ryne Sandberg who will join the coaching staff that already consists of Harold Baines, Rollie Fingers, Ken Griffey Jr., Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Fred McGriff, Eddie Murray, Jim Rice, Lee Smith, Ozzie Smith, Joe Torre and Dave Winfield.
This of course brings us to those who will actually play in the East-West Classic. Firstly, there are the team captains CC Sabathia and Chris Young, who are then followed by former major league players Josh Barfield, José Contreras, Ian Desmond, Prince Fielder, Dexter Fowler, Doug Glanville, Curtis Granderson, Tony Gwynn Jr., Jerry Hairston, Scott Hairston, LaTroy Hawkins, Ryan Howard, Edwin Jackson, Jeremy Jeffress, Adam Jones, Russell Martin, Darrell Miller, Melvin Mora, David Price, Tyson Ross, Tony Sipp, Dee Strange-Gordon, B.J. Upton and Justin Upton. It’s also worth noting that Little League World Series hero Mo’ne Davis will play in the East-West Classic, as well as two-time All-Star Harold Reynolds of MLB Network, who joins Mets World Series hero Mookie Wilson as an honorary team member. Last but not least, we’ve got former Negro Leagues stars Sam Allen and Pedro Sierra will also attend the Hall of Fame East-West Classic. You can see the rosters for both teams below:
| Team East | Team West |
|---|---|
| Chris Young (C) | CC Sabthia (C) |
| Josh Barfield | Jose Contreras |
| Mo’ne Davis | Ian Desmond |
| Dough Glanville | Prince Fielder |
| Tony Gwynn Jr. | Dexter Fowler |
| Jerry Hairston | Curtis Granderson |
| Scott Hairston | Darrell Miller |
| Latroy Hawkins | Tyson Ross |
| Ryan Howard | Tony Sipp |
| Edwin Jackson | Dee Strange-Gordon |
| Jeremy Jeffress | B.J. Upton |
| Adam Jones | Justin Upton |
| Russell Martin | - |
| Melvin Mora | - |
| David Price | - |
Where the entertainment is concerned, Nikko Smith, the award-winning singer/songwriter and son of Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before the start of the game, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET following a Home Run Derby which is set to begin at 12 noon. There is also a flyover set to take place during the National Anthem which will be performed by four Boeing Apache helicopters from the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade from nearby Fort Drum.