Pete Rose Reinstated, Now Eligible for Hall Induction \ TezzBuzz \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has lifted the permanent bans on Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, reinstating both posthumously and clearing the way for Hall of Fame eligibility. The policy change ends lifetime bans at death. Rose could be considered for induction as early as 2028.
In a landmark policy shift, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that permanent bans will now expire upon deatha move that posthumously reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jacksontwo of the game’s most famous figures long excluded from its highest honors due to gambling- scandals.
The decision lifts the decades-old ban on Rosebaseball’s all-time hits leader, just one day before his hometown Cincinnati Reds will honor him with Pete Rose Night. It also reinstates Shoeless Joe Jacksonthe legendary .356 hitter whose career ended in disgrace after the 1919 Black Sox scandal.
“Once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served,” Manfred wrote in a letter to Rose’s attorney, Jeffrey Lenkov. “A person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game.”
Manfred’s reinterpretation of Rule 21which governs gambling and integrity violations in baseball, marks a significant departure from previous enforcement. In addition to Rose and Jackson, the ruling affects other historically banned figures, including:
These individuals, now deceased, are all eligible for Hall of Fame consideration for the first time in decades.
Pete Rosea 17-time All-Star and 3-time World Series champion, was permanently banned in 1989 after an MLB investigation found he bet on games involving his team while serving as player-manager for the Reds. Though he applied for reinstatement in 1997 and again in 2015, both attempts were denied.
Rose passed away on September 30, 2024at age 83. His attorney filed a new petition in January 2025, and Manfred granted reinstatement after meeting with Rose’s daughter Fawn and Lenkov. Former President Donald Trump—a long-time Rose supporter—reportedly discussed the issue with Manfred in April.
Shoeless Joe Jacksonfamously portrayed by Ray Liotta in Field of Dreamswas banned in 1921 for his alleged role in conspiring to fix the 1919 World Series. Though Jackson’s individual performance in the series was stellar and his guilt remains debated, he was grouped with seven other Black Sox players and never returned to the game.
Jackson, who died in 1951, has long remained a mythic figure in baseball loreoften seen as a symbol of baseball’s complicated moral code. He now joins Rose in eligibility for Hall of Fame induction via the Classic Baseball Era ballot.
While reinstatement clears the first hurdle, induction into the Hall of Fame still faces procedural and political challenges.
The Baseball Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors confirmed Tuesday that any individual removed from MLB’s ineligible list becomes eligible for consideration. Under the Classic Baseball Era processRose and Jackson could be evaluated as soon as December 2027 for the 2028 class.
Key elements of the process include:
Rose is ineligible for the BBWAA ballotwhich is limited to those who appeared within five years of retirement and weren’t banned. Still, his reinstatement has revived public debate on whether his on-field accomplishments should outweigh his off-field infractions.
While Donald Trump’s pledge to pardon Rose has drawn media attention, it’s unclear what legal effect that would have on MLB’s private disciplinary system. Rose’s 1990 conviction for filing false tax returns—stemming from unreported income to memorabilia and gambling—resulted in five months in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Manfred’s decision to remove the ineligibility posthumously renders any further pardon symbolic rather than practical. But it may have helped frame the public and political discourse that created momentum for reinstatement.
Manfred’s decision signals a potential softening of baseball’s hardline stance on gambling-era infractions, particularly in an age where the league has embraced legalized sports betting partnerships. Critics have long argued that MLB’s posture toward Rose and Jackson was inconsistent with modern realitiesespecially considering their monumental statistical contributions to the game.
As Hall of Fame eligibility is now back on the table, the sport must reckon once again with its past—this time not with punishment, but with reconsideration.
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