MLB reinstates Rose and Jackson

NEW YORK — Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson were posthumously reinstated by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, making both eligible for the sport's Hall of Fame, after their careers were tarnished by gambling and match-fixing scandals.

Rose's permanent ban was lifted eight months after his death, and came a day before the Cincinnati Reds will honor baseball's career hits leader with Pete Rose Night.

Manfred announced Tuesday that he was changing the league's policy on permanent ineligibility, saying bans would expire at death.

MLB said 17 individuals had their status changed by the decision, including all eight banned members of the so-called Chicago Black Sox of 1919, former Philadelphia Phillies president William D.Cox and former New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff.

Under the Hall of Fame's current rules, the earliest Rose or Jackson could be inducted would be in 2028.

Rose agreed with then commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti to a permanent ban on Aug 23, 1989, following an investigation commissioned by the league concluded that Rose had repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager of the team from 1985-87, a violation of a long-standing MLB rule.

Rose first applied for reinstatement in September 1997, but commissioner at the time, Bud Selig, never ruled on the request.

In 2015, Manfred rejected a petition for reinstatement, saying "Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life".

Rose died Sept 30 at age 83, and a new petition was filed on Jan 8 by Jeffrey Lenkov, a lawyer who represented Rose. Lenkov and Rose's daughter Fawn had met with Manfred on Dec 17.

Rose's supporters have included US President Donald Trump, who has said he intends to pardon Rose posthumously.

It's not clear what a presidential pardon for Rose would entail.

Manfred discussed Rose with Trump when the pair met in April, but neither has disclosed specifics of their conversation.

In a letter to Lenkov, Manfred wrote: "In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase 'permanently ineligible' should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others.

"In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served."

Marcus Giamatti, son of the former commissioner who signed the agreement banning Rose, said in a statement that he was "incredibly disappointed" in Manfred's decision.

"I am also disappointed that my family was not consulted prior to this decision," he said.

"The Commissioner's decision makes this a very dark day for baseball, the country and the fans.

"My father's mission, by banning Rose, was to uphold the integrity of the game. Therefore, reinstating Rose in this manner puts that integrity, Rule 21 and everything that my father fought to uphold, in peril."

A 17-time All-Star during a playing career from 1963-86, Rose holds the record for hits (4,256), games (3,562), at-bats (14,053), plate appearances (15,890) and singles (3,215).

He was the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, 1973 MVP and 1975 World Series MVP. A three-time NL batting champion, he broke the prior hits record of 4,191 set by Ty Cobb between 1905-28.

Jackson was a .356 career hitter who was among the eight Chicago White Sox players, later dubbed "the Black Sox", that were banned for throwing the 1919 World Series.

He died in 1951, but he remains one of baseball's most recognizable names in part for his depiction by Ray Liotta in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams.

So, what else needs to happen for Rose or Jackson to reach the Hall of Fame?

Under a rule adopted by the Hall's board of directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can't be considered for election to the Hall.

Jackson was twice considered on ballots by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, but received just 0.9 percent in 1936 and one percent of a nominating vote in 1940.

Rose's reinstatement occurred too late for him to be considered for the BBWAA ballot.

If not on the permanently banned list, Rose would have been eligible on the ballots from 1992 through 2006.

He was written in on 41 votes in 1992 and on 243 of 7,232 ballots (3.4 percent) over the 15 years, votes that were not counted.

Without the ban, both players are eligible for the Hall's Classic Baseball Era, which next meets to consider players in December 2027, and considers those whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.

A 10-person historical overview committee selects the eight ballot candidates with the approval of the Hall's board, and the ballot is considered by 16 members at the winter meetings, with a vote of 75 percent or higher needed.

The committee members include Hall of Fame members, team executives, media professionals and baseball historians.

Hall of Fame chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark confirmed in a statement that players affected by Manfred's ruling Tuesday would be considered.

"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," she said.

"Major League Baseball's decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered."

Agencies via Xinhua