COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Severe thunderstorms drenched historic Doubleday Field today, forcing cancellation of the final Hall of Fame Game.

Despite a determined effort to play the game between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs, the storms packed too much rain and pelted the field with bursts of hail before officials called it off just after 2:30 p.m.

The sellout crowd of nearly 10,000 was eligible for a refund.

Major League Baseball announced in late January that this would be the final Hall of Fame Game because of scheduling problems. It was the last remaining exhibition game on the major league schedule.