MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly considering removing all-time great baseball player Pete Rose from the ineligible list for the Hall of Fame.
The news comes just days after President Donald Trump pressed the issue, stating he would issue a posthumous pardon for the Cincinnati Reds legend.
“Major League Baseball didn’t have the courage or decency to put the late, great, Pete Rose, also known as “Charlie Hustle,” into the Baseball Hall of fame,” Trump wrote on his Trusth Social media platform.
“Now he is dead, will never experience the thrill of being selected, even though he was a FAR BETTER PLAYER than most of those who made it, and can only be named posthumously. WHAT A SHAME!”
Although Pete Rose was never formally charged with a crime related to his most infamous controversy—betting on baseball games – Trump vowed to issue a pardon, brutally castigating MLB in the process.
Will MLB Finally Do Right By Pete Rose?
Whatever you might think of President Trump, it’s clear he brought some attention to the Pete Rose matter that might not have been there for the public since his death this past September.
Now, it’s being reported that the family filed a petition with Manfred regarding the matter, which led to a “productive” meeting.
“It is now time to turn the page on Pete Rose’s legacy in baseball and for the Hall of Fame to honor him. Whether you are a fan or not of Pete Rose, we are at our best a nation of second chances, a nation of giving people second opportunities,” Rose’s lawyer told ESPN.
“We don’t write off people.”
Which is slightly more tactful than Trump was with his statement’s conclusion.
“He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history,” he wrote. “Baseball, which is dying all over the place, should get off its fat, lazy ass, and elect Pete Rose, even though far too late, into the Baseball Hall of Fame!”
Charlie Hustle must be having a good laugh from above.
I totally support Pete Rose being reinstated and then eventually taking his rightful place in the Hall of Fame, but after Rob Manfred is done reviewing Rose’s case, he needs to look at “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) March 2, 2025
My argument in defense of Jackson is here: https://t.co/dRCF6TBdHq
RELATED: The Sports World Reacts To the Passing Of the Great ‘Charlie Hustle’ Pete Rose
It’s Time
It should be noted that Trump’s attempt to get Pete Rose into the MLB Hall of Fame is a situation in which one WWE Hall of Famer is going to bat for another WWE Hall of Famer. Amazing.
And MLB can’t exactly keep the moral high ground on this story.
You may recall that Manfred never punished a single player on the 2016 Houston Astros team that literally cheated their way to a World Series championship, instead offering them immunity for their cooperation. That’s right, the league that banned Pete Rose for life for betting on his own team didn’t punish any cheating players on the Astros.
Rose spent most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds and was Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader with 4,256 hits, a record that still stands. He was one of the most celebrated players in all of baseball.
He was found to have bet on baseball games, including those of the Cincinnati Reds, while he was managing the team.
His list of accolades is impressive: three-time World Series Champion, MVP, three batting titles, two Gold Gloves, and 17-time All-Star team member.
Moreover, Rose’s impact on the game, his role in the “Big Red Machine,” and his influence on how the game is played and appreciated by fans argue for his inclusion as a significant figure in baseball history.
Despite his banishment from the sport’s formal recognitions, the Reds had previously honored him by inducting him into their own Hall of Fame and erecting a statue in his likeness.
It’s well past time that MLB honors him in the same manner.
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