Justice has been delivered even after death as Major League Baseball removed Pete Rose and other deceased players from the league’s banned list.
The bombshell move opened the door for these legendary players to finally enter the Hall of Fame posthumously.
This long-overdue decision corrects decades of punishment that extended well beyond the grave.
Major League Baseball announced that all deceased players on its “permanently ineligible” list have been reinstated, finally acknowledging that death should mark the end of punishment.
The decision specifically impacts baseball legends Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, whose exceptional careers were overshadowed by gambling scandals that kept them out of Cooperstown.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made it clear that deceased players can no longer compromise baseball’s integrity.
“Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” Manfred stated.
“Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve,” he added.
The Baseball Hall of Fame quickly acknowledged the decision’s significance.
“The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball’s permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration,” said Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark.
This statement confirms what fans have long hoped: Rose and Jackson will finally get their fair consideration.
Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader with 4,256 hits, passed away in September 2024 without ever seeing his ban lifted.
The 17-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion was exiled from baseball in 1989 after betting on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
Despite repeated applications for reinstatement during his lifetime, Rose was denied the honor that his on-field achievements deserved.
“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,” said Manfred.
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s case is also noteworthy. Despite compiling a remarkable .356 lifetime batting average, Jackson was banned in 1920 for his involvement in the “Black Sox Scandal,” in which the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series.
Jackson hit .375 during that series with no errors, casting serious doubt on his involvement in any fix.
The reinstatement also affects the seven other “Black Sox” players and several lesser-known banned individuals.
Each will now be eligible for Hall of Fame consideration by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, which will next meet in December 2027.
Candidates need votes from at least 12 of 16 committee members for induction.
This decision comes after decades of calls from baseball purists and fans to acknowledge that the Hall of Fame should represent on-field excellence.
The “Pete Rose rule” established in 1991 explicitly barred those on the ineligible list from Hall consideration, but now that artificial barrier has been removed for these deceased legends.
While many fans celebrate this decision as long overdue, others question why these players had to die before receiving justice.
This posthumous reinstatement is a step toward justice, but it sadly comes too late for Rose and Jackson to witness their redemption.
