Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred ended the lifetime bans of several deceased former major leaguers on Tuesday.
Among those reinstated were two of the best hitters in the history of baseball, Chicago White Sox legend “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and, most notably, Pete Rose, who most famously played for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies. A total of 17 players had their bans reversed on Tuesday due to Manfred’s decision.
Jackson was banned for his role in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, in which Jackson was one of several Chicago White Sox players accused of trying to fix the World Series. Rose, who is MLB’s all-time hits leader, was permanently banned in 1989 for betting on games as a player and manager.
Rose’s pursuit to overturn his ban was a frequent topic during the latter years of his life. In 2015, Rose petitioned for reinstatement. However, it was rejected by Manfred.
“In short, Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established in the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware, and sustained program of avoidance by him of all the circumstances that led to his permanent in eligibility in 1989,” Manfred said at the time.
On Tuesday, he said that Rose’s death in January played a part in his decision to remove his ban. He explained his decision in a statement.
“In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served,” said Manfred. “Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. 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.”
Two of Rose’s former teams, the Reds and the Phillies, released statements expressing support and gratitude for Manfred’s decision to reinstate the deceased baseball legend.
“On behalf of the Reds and our generations of loyal fans, we are thankful for the decision of Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball regarding the removal of Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list,” said Bob Castellini, the current owner of the Reds. “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.”
“The Phillies support today’s decision by Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball to remove Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list,” the Philadelphia Phillies posted on X. “As one of the greatest players in the history of the game, Pete made significant on-field contributions to the Phillies over his five seasons (1979-1983) with the club, highlighted by our first World Series title in 1980.”
The White Sox did not release any statements regarding Jackson.
Jackson died in 1951. He is most known in popular culture as one of the characters in the 1989 film Field of Dreams. In the film, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s ghost (portrayed by Ray Liotta) plays baseball in a field in Iowa, while helping a local farmer, Ray Kinsella (portrayed by Kevin Costner) overcome the lingering grief he has from the death of his estranged father who died years earlier.
Incidentally, the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox played each other on Tuesday night in Cincinnati. The White Sox won the game, 5-1.
Additionally, the reinstatement of Jackson, Rose, and the others, means they are now eligible for induction into MLB’s Hall of Fame, if they receive enough votes.