MLB reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, making them Hall of Fame-eligible
In this June 24, 2016, file photo, former Cincinnati Red Pete Rose waves to the crowd as he is introduced on the field during a ceremony to honor the 1976 World Series champions team, before the Reds' baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Cincinnati. \ Credit: AP/John Minchillo
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred may have just issued a Hall pass to Pete Rose.
Rose and anyone else who is deceased and on baseball’s permanently banned list were reinstated on Tuesday by Manfred. That opens a path for baseball’s all-time hit king to eventually be considered for the Hall of Fame — but not until 2027 under current rules.
Manfred ruled that permanent ineligibility ends with a person’s death. That affects Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and 15 others, most of them players from the infamous 1919 Chicago White Sox, eight of whom were found to have thrown the World Series in the famed “Black Sox” gambling scandal.
“The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball’s permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration,” Hall of Fame chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement. “Major League Baseball’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered. The Historical Overview Committee will develop the ballot of eight names for the Classic Baseball Era Committee — which evaluates candidates who made their greatest impact on the game prior to 1980 — to vote on when it meets next in December 2027.”
Manfred, in a letter to Rose family attorney Jeffrey Lenkov announcing his decision, wrote: “There are 17 deceased individuals disciplined since the founding of the Commissioner’s Office impacted by today’s announcement, including Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver and Lefty Williams; Joe Gedeon; Gene Paulette; Benny Kauff; Lee Magee; Phil Douglas; Cozy Dolan; Jimmy O’Connell; William Cox; and Pete Rose.”
Rose, who died on Sept. 30, 2024, at the age of 83, agreed to a permanent ban announced by commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti on Aug. 23, 1989, after an investigation commissioned by Major League Baseball that concluded Rose repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager of the team from 1985-87, a violation of MLB’s “Rule 21.”
Giamatti’s son, Marcus, said in a statement that he is “incredibly disappointed” in Manfred’s decision.
“I am also disappointed that my family was not consulted prior to this decision,” he said. “The Commissioner’s decision makes this a very dark day for baseball, the country and the fans.
“My father’s mission by banning Rose was to uphold the integrity of the game. Therefore, reinstating Rose in this manner puts that integrity, Rule 21 and everything that my father fought to uphold in peril.”
Rose first applied for reinstatement in September 1997, but commissioner Bud Selig never ruled on the request. Manfred in 2015 rejected a petition for reinstatement, saying “Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life.”
Lenkov and Rose’s daughter Fawn met with Manfred on Dec. 17. In the letter to Lenkov, Manfred wrote: “In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase ‘permanently ineligible’ should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others. In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game.”
A 17-time All-Star from 1963-86, Rose holds the MLB records for hits (4,256), games (3,562), at-bats (14,053), plate appearances (15,890) and singles (3,215). He was the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, 1973 NL MVP and 1975 World Series MVP.
Under a rule adopted by the Hall’s board of directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can’t be considered for election to the Hall.
The reinstated players appear to be eligible for the Hall’s Classic Baseball Era, which next meets in December 2027 and considers those whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.
A 10-person historical overview committee selects the ballot candidates with the approval of the Hall’s board. The ballot is considered by 16 members, with at least a 75% vote in favor needed for induction. The committee members include Hall of Fame members, team executives and media members/historians.
Jackson was a .356 career hitter who was among the eight Chicago White Sox banned for throwing the 1919 World Series, in which he batted .375. Jackson twice appeared on a BBWAA ballot before the Hall’s rules changed, receiving 0.9% in 1936 and 1% of a nominating vote in 1940.
In his last interview 10 days before his death, Rose told Ohio-based sportscaster John Condit: “I’ve come to the conclusion — I hope I’m wrong — that I’ll make the Hall of Fame after I die. Which I totally disagree with, because the Hall of Fame is for two reasons: your fans and your family . . . And it’s for your family if you’re here. It’s for your fans if you’re here. Not if you’re 10 feet under. You understand what I’m saying? What good is it going to do me or my fans if they put me in the Hall of Fame a couple years after I pass away? What’s the point? What’s the point?”
The Cincinnati Reds will honor Rose on Wednesday on Pete Rose Night.
With AP
Pete Rose and anyone else who is deceased and is on baseball’s permanently banned list were reinstated on Tuesday by commissioner Rob Manfred.
That creates a path for baseball’s all-time hit king to eventually be considered for the Hall of Fame — but not until 2027 under current rules.
Manfred ruled that permanent ineligibility ends with a person’s death. That affects Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and 15 others, most of them players from the infamous 1919 Chicago Black Sox.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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