In a stunning turn of events, Major League Baseball has finally delivered long-overdue justice to two of America’s most legendary baseball players.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the removal of Pete Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and 15 other dead players from its permanent ineligible list.
The bombshell move opens the door for these players’ rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
This landmark decision corrects decades of punishments that extended beyond the grave, setting straight a wrong that prevented proper recognition of these great American athletes.
MLB’s decision allows these players to be posthumously considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Commissioner Manfred ruled that permanent ineligibility should not extend beyond death, acknowledging that deceased individuals can no longer compromise the game.
“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, “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.”
The National Baseball Hall of Fame confirmed that this change makes these players eligible for consideration.
Hall of Fame Chair Jane Forbes Clark said, “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.”
Rose, who passed away in September 2024, was baseball’s hits king with 4,256 career hits, a 17-time All-Star, and winner of three World Series.
Despite these incredible accomplishments, Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
The ban prevented him from being considered for the Hall of Fame due to a rule established in 1991, making anyone on the ineligible list also ineligible for induction.
“Shoeless” Jackson, whose .356 lifetime batting average ranks third in MLB history, was banned in 1920 along with seven other Chicago White Sox players.
These players were barred for their involvement in fixing the 1919 World Series in what became known as the “Black Sox Scandal.”
The decision to ban Jackson was made by MLB’s first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, in 1921.
Ultimately, the reinstatement was influenced by a petition filed by attorney Jeffrey Lenkov.
The Classic Baseball Era Committee will decide on their candidacies, requiring votes from at least 12 of 16 members for induction.
The committee is scheduled to meet next in December 2027, which means baseball fans will need to wait two more years to see if Rose, Jackson, and others finally receive their plaques in Cooperstown.
This decision reverses decades of stubborn thinking that insisted on punishing these players even beyond death.
For many baseball fans and traditionalists who believed the game’s history was not being properly honored, this represents a significant victory for common sense and recognition of America’s baseball heritage.
The ruling affects a total of 16 former players and one former owner, allowing baseball fans to properly celebrate the accomplishments of some of the game’s greatest players.
