Photo: Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
In a landmark decision that reverberated throughout the baseball world, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the reinstatement of two legends. Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader, and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, a legendary outfielder implicated in the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Finally, the move opens a potential pathway to Cooperstown. A path for two of the game’s most talented and controversial figures.
The decision, unveiled Tuesday, hinges on a significant policy shift. Permanent ineligibility from MLB will now conclude upon an individual’s passing. Commissioner Manfred stated that this change was made following a petition from the family of Pete Rose. Sadly, Rose passed away on September 30, 2024, at the age of 83.
In a letter to Rose’s family attorney, Manfred explained the rationale. “In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us can not represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has a more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.”
This monumental decision closes a long and often bitter chapter in baseball history for both Rose and Jackson. Whose transgressions, though different in nature and era, cast long shadows over their undeniable on-field achievements.
Pete Rose: From “Charlie Hustle” to Permanent Exile
Pete Rose, renowned for his relentless hustle and record 4,256 career hits, was banned from baseball in August 1989. The ban followed an investigation that concluded Rose had bet on baseball games. Including those involving his own Cincinnati Reds, while he was the team’s manager. Rose voluntarily accepted a permanent place on the ineligible list, though he spent years denying the allegations. Before he finally admitted to betting on the Reds in his 2004 autobiography.
His banishment was a seismic event in sports. It sidelined one of the game’s most recognizable and accomplished players. It also made him ineligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A painful consequence for a player who had a surefire ticket to Cooperstown. The Hall of Fame instituted a rule in 1991 barring anyone on MLB’s permanently ineligible list from consideration.
Rose applied for reinstatement multiple times over the decades. Receiving denials from successive commissioners who upheld the sanctity of baseball’s strict anti-gambling rules. Manfred himself denied a reinstatement request from a living Rose in 2015, stating that Rose had “not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life.”
A Second Chance
The posthumous reinstatement now lifts that MLB ban. The Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that Rose, along with the other reinstated individuals, will now be eligible for consideration. Their cases would be reviewed by the Hall’s Era Committees, with the earliest possible induction being in 2028.
Reaction from Cincinnati, where Rose achieved iconic status was emotional. The Reds organization, which is set to honor Rose in a ceremony, expressed gratitude for the decision. Principal owner Bob Castellini stated, “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.”
Shoeless Joe Jackson: The Black Sox Scandal and a Lingering Question of Innocence
For “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who died in 1951, the reinstatement addresses a ban that has been debated for over a century. Unfortunately, Jackson was one of eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox banned for life. They were banned for their alleged roles in conspiring with gamblers to intentionally lose the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.
Jackson’s case has always been complex. He posted a .375 batting average with 12 hits, a World Series record at the time. Additionally, he played errorless defense during the 1919 Series. He reportedly confessed to involvement to a grand jury but later recanted. Many historians and fans have argued for his innocence or, at least, a lesser degree of culpability than some of his teammates. Despite being acquitted in a 1921 criminal trial, Landis’ decree stood.
Over the years, numerous efforts were made to clear Jackson’s name. Including campaigns by the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum in Greenville, South Carolina. Like Rose, previous commissioners had declined to overturn Landis’s historic ruling. Manfred, in 2015, denied a formal request for Jackson’s reinstatement, citing the difficulty of definitively overturning a decision made nearly a century prior.
The current decision to remove Jackson from the ineligible list posthumously acknowledges that, like Rose, he no longer poses a risk to the game’s integrity. This opens the door for the Hall of Fame’s Era Committee to evaluate his career. A career that includes a lifetime .356 batting average. The third-highest in MLB history.
The Path to Cooperstown
While removal from the ineligible list is a significant step, it does not guarantee induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Hall is a separate entity from MLB, and its voting bodies will now have the task of considering these complex legacies.
Furthermore, the Hall of Fame confirmed that individuals removed from the permanently ineligible list become eligible for consideration by the relevant Era Committee. For Rose and Jackson, this would likely be the Classic Baseball Era Committee. They would need to secure 75% of the vote from the 16-member committee, which comprises Hall of Famers, executives, historians, and media members.
Undoubtedly, the debate will shift from MLB‘s sanctions to the Hall of Fame’s criteria, which famously include “integrity, sportsmanship, [and] character” alongside playing record. For Rose, his acknowledged betting on baseball will remain a central point of discussion. For Jackson, the unresolved questions surrounding his involvement in the Black Sox scandal will be revisited.
