The Major League Baseball Hit King may finally get his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. Commissioner Rob Manfred removed Pete Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and 14 other deceased baseball players from the permanently ineligible list, clearing the way for them to potentially be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
“Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” Manfred wrote in a letter to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, who previously petitioned for Rose’s removal from the list. “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.”
Baseball fans who lived through the steroid era have witnessed Hall of Fame voters pass over the power-hitters from the 90s, but none wore a scarlet letter as bright as Rose or Jackson.
Rose received a lifetime ban in 1989 after an MLB investigation determined that he bet on baseball games while managing the Cincinnati Reds. Ever since then, there were many failed attempts at a reconciliation. He passed away in September of last year, effectively ending his lifetime ban.
Pete Rose stands alone in so many statistical categories, it’s hard to envision a Hall of Fame without him. The three-time World Series champion has more hits (4,256) than any other Major League Baseball player. He won 1,972 regular season games, more than any other athlete in American professional sports.
Unlike Rose, Joe Jackson was disciplined for throwing games while playing on the diamond. Jackson was among eight of the Chicago “Black” Sox, who threw the 1919 World Series. The Reds were victorious, which included a distant cousin of mine, Hall of Famer Edd Roush. Even though he accepted $5,000 cash from gamblers to lose the World Series, Jackson batted .375 in the series and did not commit an error. His career batting average of .356 is the fourth-highest in Major League Baseball history.
Even though the ban has officially been lifted, ESPN’s Jeff Passan estimates the earliest either player could enter the Hall of Fame is 2028. They will need 12 votes from the 16-member Classic Baseball Era Committee to finally secure a spot in Cooperstown.
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