MLB Finally Reinstates Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Clearing Hall Of Fame Path

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred made a stunning announcement Tuesday afternoon regarding legendary superstars Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, among others.

Decades after being added to the league's permanent ineligibility list for betting on baseball, Manfred announced that Rose would be reinstated to full status within the game. The announcement also affects "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and the members of the so-called Chicago Black Sox who were hit with the same punishment over allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series.

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"Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game," Manfred said in a new letter to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, per ESPN. "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."

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 07: Former Philadelphia Phillies player Pete Rose acknowledges the crowd.(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Pete Rose, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Near Locks To Join MLB Hall Of Fame

Rose passed away in September 2024 at 83, and Jackson passed away in 1951 at age 64. Neither were ever eligible to appear on a Hall of Fame ballot. That's now finally changing. 

By 2028, both will be added to the list of potential inductees, and both are more than deserving based on their performance on the field. Rose became one of the best players in baseball history, racking up an incredible 4,256 career hits, the most in MLB history.

Rose also scored over 2,100 runs and, remarkably, was still an above-average hitter in his age-44 season in 1985. 

Jackson, meanwhile, hit .408 for the 1911 Cleveland Naps, then followed that up by hitting .395 in 1912. He was then banned for life in 1921 after a .382/.444/.589 1920 in his age-30 season. 

The punishment against Jackson for throwing games in 1919 was especially tough, considering he hit .375/.394/.563 in the postseason that year, including the only home run of the World Series.

As the letter from Manfred states, there's no risk to the integrity of the sport after someone dies. And baseball is now so intertwined with sports betting that several franchise have facilities, literally at their stadiums, where fans can gamble. It's hard to preach "sanctity" with that happening.

Hopefully both are inducted in their first ballot, finally righting a historic wrong.