CINCINNATI -- On the eve of a special night being held by the Reds to honor his life and career, the late Pete Rose finally got the one thing he wished decades for – removal from baseball’s permanently ineligible list.
On Tuesday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a policy decision that individuals banned from the game will have their permanent ineligibility end upon their passing. Manfred made the decision after an application for reinstatement was filed by Rose's family after his death on Sept. 30, 2024, at the age of 83.
Rose was placed on the permanently ineligible list in 1989 by then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for betting on Major League games. He was one of 17 deceased players impacted by Manfred’s announcement.
"On behalf of the Reds and our generations of loyal fans, we are thankful for the decision of Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball regarding the removal of Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list," Reds principal owner Bob Castellini said in a statement. "Pete is one of the greatest players in baseball history, and Reds Country will continue to celebrate him as we always have. We are especially happy for the Rose family to receive this news and what this decision could mean for them and all of Pete’s fans."
In addition to Rose, Manfred also removed the following individuals from the permanently ineligible list: Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver, Lefty Williams, Joe Gedeon, Gene Paulette, Benny Kauff, Lee Magee, Phil Douglas, Cozy Dolan, Jimmy O’Connell and William Cox.
"In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served," Manfred wrote, referring to the rule that outlaws betting on baseball by league personnel. "Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.”
Added Manfred: “While it is my preference not to disturb decisions made by prior Commissioners, Mr. Rose was not placed on the permanently ineligible list by Commissioner action but rather as the result of a 1989 settlement of potential litigation with the Commissioner's Office. My decision today is consistent with Commissioner Giamatti’s expectations of that agreement."
The biggest benefit to Rose's legacy with Tuesday's decision is that one of baseball's all-time greats can now be considered for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I understand and respect Commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision regarding the removal of Pete Rose and 16 other deceased individuals from the ineligible list," Commissioner Emeritus Allan H. (Bud) Selig said in a statement. "Given my affection for my friend, the late Bart Giamatti, MLB’s seventh Commissioner who disciplined Mr. Rose for gambling on his own team all those years ago, I believe Bart would understand and respect the decision as well.”
The practical impact of Rose’s ineligible status was that he was not allowed to be employed by a club, but in 1991, the Hall of Fame made a decision to make the ineligible list part of its criteria.
That year, the Hall's board voted that any person permanently banned from the game would be ineligible for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot and blocked from enshrinement.
"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," Hall of Fame chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark said. "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."
That means the earliest that Rose could be elected to the Hall of Fame is 2028. Tuesday's announcement does not guarantee that any of the newly eligible former players will appear on a future Hall of Fame ballot.
Reds great and Hall of Famer Barry Larkin was pleased with Tuesday's news and was certainly supportive of Rose's bid to get into the Cooperstown shrine.
"It would have been super amazing to be able to share his enshrinement with him as with us being from Cincinnati and him being my first manager," Larkin said. "He gave me my first opportunity. He’s a guy I grew up idolizing and trying to be like.
“I feel like it would be a wonderful thing for the west side of Cincinnati, for Cincinnati as a whole and all of Reds land. It will be amazing.”
Known as baseball's "Hit King" for his standing as the game's all-time leader with 4,256 hits, Rose has a resume that is nearly unparalleled. He was the 1963 National League Rookie of the Year, the 1973 NL Most Valuable Player and a winner of three batting titles and two Gold Gloves. He also made 17 All-Star Game appearances and was named a member of MLB’s All-Century Team in 1999.
Rose won three World Series during his 24-year career from 1963-86. He was a member of the Big Red Machine clubs that won back-to-back championships in 1975-76 and with the Phillies in 1980.
A Cincinnati native, Rose is being honored with "Pete Rose Night" at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday. The game vs. the White Sox is scheduled to begin at 7:14 p.m. ET, a nod to the No. 14 jersey that he wore throughout his career and which was retired by the club. Members of the Big Red Machine like Ken Griffey Sr. and George Foster are among those taking part in pregame ceremonies.
On Aug. 16, 1984, the Reds engineered a trade with the Expos that brought Rose back to his hometown of Cincinnati to finish his career. He was first a player-manager from 1984-86 and the club's manager until his banishment during the 1989 season.
"It’s bittersweet because he’s passed away," said Reds broadcaster Chris Welsh, a former pitcher who played for Rose in 1986. "I figured that he would be allowed back in posthumously eventually, and it happened. It happened quicker than I thought. But I just kind of wish that he had been able to enjoy a little bit of time in his life where he was reinstated into baseball.”
Larkin last saw Rose over the summer of 2024 when the pair traveled back to Cincinnati from visiting Cooperstown. Rose often spent Hall of Fame weekends signing autographs in the shadow of the Hall of Fame.
“We were able to share stories, and it was amazing," Larkin said. "I’m super appreciative of that time. I didn’t know it would be the last time I got a chance to interact with him.”