Major League Baseball has officially removed Pete Rose from its permanently ineligible list, the league announced Tuesday. Rose, who passed away last September at age 83, had been banned since 1989 after an investigation determined he had gambled on games while playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds.
This decision reinstates Rose’s eligibility for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained that lifetime bans conclude upon an individual’s death, stating, “To establish clarity for the administration of the Major League Rules, the decision in this matter shall apply to individuals in the past or future who are posthumously on the permanently ineligible list.”
Seventeen deceased individuals are affected by this policy change, including eight players from the infamous Black Sox scandal, such as “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame responded with a statement confirming that anyone removed from the ineligible list becomes eligible for Hall of Fame consideration. The Historical Overview Committee will now create a ballot featuring eight candidates for review by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, which next convenes in December 2027.
Earlier this year, Manfred noted he had spoken with former President Donald Trump about several topics, including Pete Rose’s situation. Trump had previously expressed his support on Truth Social, suggesting he would grant Rose a full pardon, emphasizing that Rose only bet on his team to win and never against them.
Rose publicly admitted to betting on baseball in a 2007 interview after years of denial, stating he gambled during the 1987 and 1988 seasons. In his 2004 autobiography My Prison Without Bars, he acknowledged betting on his own team, saying his actions, though he believed them harmless at the time, compromised the integrity of the game.
During his career from 1963 to 1986 — primarily with the Cincinnati Reds but also with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos — Rose was a 17-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion, and remains MLB’s all-time leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), and at-bats (14,053).