MLB removes Pete Rose, 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson from ineligible list in decision that can pave way for Hall of Fame

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Pete Rose now has a path to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
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Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred took a major step on Tuesday in allowing both Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson into the baseball Hall of Fame.

Manfred officially removed Rose and Jackson, and all other deceased players, from MLB’s permanently ineligible list on Tuesday. Manfred ruled that the league’s punishment of banned individuals now officially ends after their deaths.

"Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game," Manfred wrote in a letter to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, who petitioned for Rose's removal from the list earlier this year. "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."

Presumably, the move now opens the door for the Baseball Hall of Fame to induct both Rose and Jackson in the future. That could happen as soon as 2028.

Jackson and seven other members of the Chicago White Sox were banned from the league in 1921 for their role in fixing the 1919 World Series. Rose was banned in 1989 after an investigation determined that he bet on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds. In 1991, the Hall of Fame determined that any player on MLB’s permanently ineligible list would also be ineligible for induction into the Hall of Fame — something that became known as the “Pete Rose rule.”

Rose, MLB’s all-time hits leader, died in September at 83. Jackson died in 1951.

Many people, including President Donald Trump, have advocated for Rose to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in recent years. Rose actually called it just 10 days before his death, too.

"I've come to the conclusion — I hope I'm wrong — that I'll make the Hall of Fame after I die," he said. "Which I totally disagree with, because the Hall of Fame is for two reasons: your fans and your family ... It's for your family if you're here. It's for your fans if you're here. Not if you're 10 feet under."

Manfred’s decision on Tuesday officially removed 16 players — Rose, Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandill, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver, Lefty Williams, Joe Gedeon, Gene Paulette, Benny Kauff, Lee Magee, Phil Douglas, Cozy Dolan and Jimmy O'Connell — and one owner — former Philadelphia Phillies owner William Cox — from the ineligible list.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.

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