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📖 Read full article→Beltrán, Jones and Kent pay tribute to home and family during Baseball Hall of Fame inductions - AP News
WorldBy Kenny Lacy Jr.7/26/20261 min read
Puerto Rico and Curaçao may be small islands, but the support they showed was massive as elite center fielders Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. Both joined slugging second baseman Jeff Kent as the newest …
✨ Key Highlights
- Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 26, 2026, before an estimated crowd of 12,000 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.
- The ceremony featured 57 other Hall of Famers on stage, marking the largest gathering of current Hall of Famers.
- Andruw Jones, a longtime Atlanta Braves outfielder, 10-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All-Star, became the first player from Curaçao to be inducted, and he expressed hope that he would not be the last.
- Jones dedicated much of his speech to his home country and pointed to players such as Ozzie Albies and Kenley Jansen as continuing the Curaçao legacy begun by Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens.
- Jones paid an emotional tribute to his late father, Henry Jones, whom he described as a legend and great player in Curaçao, crediting his coaching—including hitting flyballs and using a sledgehammer to build wrist strength—for his development.
- The three inductees, including Puerto Rico's Carlos Beltrán and second baseman Jeff Kent, honored their homelands and families, with strong fan support shown for both Beltrán and Jones from their island communities.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) Puerto Rico and Curaçao may be small islands, but the support they showed was massive as elite center fielders Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones were inducted into the Baseball H