MLB Reinstates Pete Rose, Opens Path To Hall Of Fame

Topline The late Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hit leader, was reinstated by the league Tuesday in a move that makes him posthumously eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame over 35 years after he was banned from the sport for betting on games while playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds. Rose was banned from baseball in 1989. Key Facts Rose, who died last year, was removed from the MLB’s ineligible list, with commissioner Rob Manfred saying permanent bans against players would expire following death. Manfred added “a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” saying it is hard to think of a penalty with more of a deterrent effect “than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.” The decision comes after an attorney for Rose filed a petition for reinstatement following the former baseball player’s death in September, hoping Rose could posthumously enter the Hall of Fame. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who was banned from baseball in 1921 over the infamous “Black Sox” 1919 World Series gambling scandal, and 15 other late players were impacted by the MLB’s decision Tuesday. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts : We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . How Can Pete Rose Get Into The Hall Of Fame After His Reinstatement? Hall of Fame chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement Tuesday that Rose and the other players can be considered for a place in the Hall of Fame, saying a committee will develop a 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.” If Rose’s name reaches the ballot, he would need 12 out of 16 votes to join the Hall of Fame. The earliest year Rose could be inducted is 2028. Surprising Fact President Donald Trump supported Rose’s reinstatement, saying in a September Truth Social post the MLB “should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago.” The president said in a separate post in February he would sign a pardon for Rose. It is unclear what Trump would pardon Rose for, as the late baseball player pleaded guilty to unrelated charges of tax evasion in 1990. Key Background In a career spanning from 1963 to 1986, Rose played in the MLB for 24 seasons and became baseball’s all-time hit leader with 4,256 hits, finishing his career with a .303 batting average and 160 home runs. The active MLB player closest to (but still very far from) Rose’s record is Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has 2,308 hits after entering the league in 2010. Rose was banned in 1989 after an investigation found he repeatedly bet on the Cincinnati Reds. Findings have shown he made bets while a player and a manager for the team from 1985 to 1987. He applied for reinstatement in 1997, 2015 and 2022, but was denied all three times. Rose denied betting on baseball for several years after his ban and finally admitted to violating the rule in 2007, and has said he never bet against his team. Rose said in his book, “My Prison Without Bars,” he thought his actions were “benign” and called the integrity of the game into question, saying “there’s no excuse for that, but there’s also no reason to punish me forever.’’ Further Reading Pete Rose, Baseball’s Hit King, Leaves A Colorful And Controversial Legacy (Forbes) The Pete Rose situation explained: What lifting his ban means for his Hall of Fame case (The Athletic) Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/05/13/pete-roses-hall-of-fame-eligibility-ban-lifted-by-mlb/