CABO ROJO, PUERTO RICO — The first Latino baseball player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was Roberto Clemente in 1973, just one year after his tragic death in the plane crash that occurred while he was delivering desperately needed relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Unfortunately, I was still young at the time, not yet the passionate baseball fan I would later become, and had little awareness of the significance of that historic moment taking place in Cooperstown, New York.
Latino Sports’ first bus trip to Cooperstown was in 1999 to witness Orlando Cepeda’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony – Image Credit: Latino Sports Archives
By 1999, when Puerto Rican legend Orlando Cepeda became only the second Latino inducted into the Hall of Fame, things were very different. I had become a devoted baseball fan and had already founded Latino Sports, which was then in its ninth year of recognizing outstanding Latino players through our prestigious LatinoMVP Awards. To celebrate Cepeda’s induction, we organized our first ever bus trip to Cooperstown to witness history firsthand.
Since that memorable journey, Latino Sports has proudly organized a bus trip for every Hall of Fame induction ceremony that has included a Latino player. Continuing that tradition, we are excited to announce our 2026 Hall of Fame Bus Trip to Cooperstown, where we will witness the induction of Puerto Rican star Carlos Beltrán. Beltrán will become the sixth Puerto Rican and the twentieth Latino player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Joining Beltrán in the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be Andruw Jones and former All-Star second baseman Jeff Kent.
Join Latino Sports on Sunday, July 26th as we head up to Cooperstown to witness history firsthand for Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones, and Jeff Kent – Image Credit: Latino Sports
Latino Sports’ Hall of Fame Bus Trip will take place on Sunday, July 26, 2026. Seating is limited and reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
For ticket information and reservations, call 718-402-9210 or email: LatSports@aol.com.
Come join us as we celebrate another historic milestone for Latino baseball and honor one of Puerto Rico’s greatest ambassadors of the game.
Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content
Instagram: @latinosportsoficial
Facebook: Latino Sports
Twitter: @latinosports
