MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has officially removed Pete Rose, \"Shoeless\" Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased players from MLB\'s permanently ineligible list, potentially opening their path to the Hall of Fame. In a letter to Rose\'s attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, Manfred ruled that MLB\'s punishment of banned individuals ends upon their deaths.
\"Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,\" Manfred wrote. \"Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.\"
The ruling ends Rose\'s ban that began in 1989 after an MLB investigation determined he bet on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds. It also lifts Jackson\'s ban, imposed in 1921 by the first commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for his role in the 1919 \"Black Sox\" scandal.
Hall of Fame Implications
Based on current rules, the earliest Rose and Jackson could be enshrined would be summer 2028 if elected by the Hall\'s 16-member Classic Baseball Era Committee. They would need 12 of 16 votes for induction.
\"This has been a long journey,\" Lenkov said. \"On behalf of the family, they are very proud and pleased and know that their father would have been overjoyed at this decision today.\"
In 1991, the Hall\'s board decided any player on MLB\'s permanently ineligible list would also be ineligible for election, becoming known as \"the Pete Rose rule.\" Neither player\'s name has appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot since their banishments.
Rose, baseball\'s all-time hits leader with 4,256, died in September 2024 at age 83. Jackson, who maintained a .356 career batting average (fourth highest in MLB history), died in 1951.
Manfred stated he agrees with former commissioner Giamatti that \"it is not part of my authority or responsibility to express any view concerning Mr. Rose\'s possible election to the Hall of Fame.\"
