Rob Manfred on Pete Rose: "When you bet on baseball from Major League Baseball’s perspective, you belong on the permanently ineligible list"
From the sound of it, Pete Rose won't be getting back into the good graces of Major League Baseball anytime soon. Rose, the MLB's all-time career hit leader, has been banned from the league since 1989 for gambling on MLB games while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
In a recent attempt at contrition, Rose recently sent an apology letter to the league office. In the letter, he expressed regret for the gambling schedule that led then-MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti to expel the former Reds great from the league.
As part of the ban, Rose, now 81-years-old, is not eligible for induction into the MLB Hall of Fame. The 24-year veteran easily has a Hall of Fame resume, punctuated by MLB's all-time best 4,256 career hits.
Rose made mention of the accomplishment and his desire to be enshrined in the letter, received and published by TMZ:
"Despite my many mistakes, I am so proud of what I accomplished as a baseball player," Rose wrote. "I am the Hit King and it is my dream to be considered for the Hall of Fame. Like all of us, I believe in accountability. I am 81 years old and know that I have been held accountable and that I hold myself accountable. I write now to ask for another chance."
Rob Manfred on Pete Rose: "I believe that when you bet on baseball from Major League Baseball’s perspective, you belong on the permanently ineligible list." But he does not think that list is equivalent to the eligibility for the Hall of Fame. https://t.co/NH9q2OmLVv
Rob Manfred on Pete Rose: "I believe that when you bet on baseball from Major League Baseball’s perspective, you belong on the permanently ineligible list." But he does not think that list is equivalent to the eligibility for the Hall of Fame. - @EvanDrellich
However, current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was seemingly unswayed by Pete Rose's letter, telling Evan Drellich of The Athletic:
"I believe that when you bet on baseball from Major League Baseball's perspective, you belong on the permanently ineligible list. When I dealt with the issue the last time he applied for reinstatement, I made clear that I didn't think the function of that baseball list was the same as the eligibility criteria for the Hall of Fame. That remains my position. I think it's a conversation that really belong on the Hall of Fame board. I'm on that board, it's just not appropriate for me to get in front (of those talks)."
Pete Rose's last appeal rejected in 2015
Manfred rejected Pete Rose's last attempt at reinstatement in 2015, saying at the time, "It is not at all clear to me that Mr. Rose has a grasp of the scope of his violations."
A pall was cast upon his career by the gambling scandal, in which he admitted to betting on Reds games while managing the team. However, ESPN reported in the summer of 2015 that there was evidence that seemed to show he had also bet on games as a player in 1985 and 1986.
For now, Rose must be content to be a member of the Reds team Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2016. He is allowed to attend the Reds ceremonial functions with prior approval from Manfred.
Rose played 19 of his 24 major league seasons with the Reds. In a Cincinnati uniform, he won the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards with in 1963 and 1973, respectively. He also played with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos later in his playing career before ending his career in Cincinnati.
Pete Rose was a player/manager with the Reds from 1984-86, before retiring as a player and serving as team manager until he was banned in 1989.
In 2021, Rose began hosting a gambling podcast: "Pete Rose's Daily Picks", which still drops new episodes six days a week.