MLB Comissioner Rob Manfred removes Pete Rose from ineligible list several months after his death

Pete Rose might finally have a chance to earn his place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Cincinnati Reds legend, who passed away last September, has been on Major League Baseball's ineligible list since 1989, which kept his name off of Hall of Fame voting ballots throughout the remainder of his life, despite several attempts to be removed from the list.

In an historic decision on Tuesday, MLB Comissioner Rob Manfred announced that the likes of Pete Rose, Chicago White Sox legend "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, and several other deceased former players would be removed from the ineligible list. This now means that all of these players will now be able eligible to be considered for Hall of Fame induction.

Manfred's decision makes it that any person on baseball's ineligible list will be removed upon their death. After nealy four decades, Rose can now get his name into the Hall of Fame. That being said, there is no guarantee that he will earn his place in Cooperstown, as it will come down to the Hall of Fame voters to decide, not Rob Manfred.

Pete Rose found himself added to baseball's permanent ineligible list after betting on baseball games when he was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Despite holding the record for the most hits ever in Major League Baseball history, Rose's name never appeared on a voting ballot, something that will presumably change and his name could be inducted as soon as the summer of 2028.

Over the course of his 24 MLB career, Rose racked up a record 4,256 hits, which still remains the record today. The 17-time All-Star and 3-time World Series champion was known for his aggressive desire to win every game, earning the nickname "Charlie Hustle" in the process.

The Cincinnati Reds icon died in his Las Vegas home on September 30, 2024 from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The 83-year-old did not live to see himself removed from the ineligible list, something that has been a polarizing topic for decades.

President Donald Trump had a meeting with Rob Manfred regarding Pete Rose's permanent ban

President Trump and Rob Manfred discussed a number of topics, including how the White House's immigration policies could affect the some of the foreign players in Major League Baseball. According to Manfred, the topic of Pete Rose's lifetime ban came up during the meeting.

While he did not provide much detail beyond that, it's clear that pressure was continuing to mount on Major League Baseball to life Rose's ban following his death. A petition was filed by Rose's attorney Jeffrey Lenkov back in January to get the icon's name removed from the ineligible list.