Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader who died last October at 83, might get an unexpected second chance – even if it’s mostly symbolic. Former President Donald Trump announced Friday he plans to pardon Rose, who’s been banned from baseball since 1989 for gambling on games.
“He never betted against himself, or the other team,” Trump posted on social media. “He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history.”
The timing is interesting, coming just months after Rose’s death and decades after his ban from the sport he dominated.
Rose’s numbers are staggering: 4,256 hits, 3,562 games played, and 15,890 plate appearances – all MLB records that still stand today.
But his legacy is complicated. While he was a force on the field during his 24-year career with the Reds, Phillies, and Expos, Rose’s admission that he bet on baseball games – though only on his team to win – got him permanently banned from the sport in 1989.
Here’s the catch: it’s not clear what Trump’s pardon would actually do. Rose wasn’t convicted of any crime related to baseball gambling. He did serve five years in prison, but that was for tax fraud in 1990.
The Baseball Hall of Fame isn’t likely to change its stance either. Since 1991, anyone on baseball’s permanently ineligible list can’t be considered for the Hall – and MLB doesn’t even control who gets in. That’s up to baseball writers and special committees.
John Dowd, who investigated Rose for MLB back in ’89, put it bluntly: MLB is “not in the pardon business nor does it control admission to the HOF.”
Rose’s story took an even darker turn in 2017. The Phillies canceled plans to add him to their Wall of Fame after news broke about his relationship with an underage woman in the 1970s.
Still, some are keeping his baseball legacy alive. The Cincinnati Reds announced they’ll wear a No. 14 patch on their uniforms in 2025 to honor their controversial star.
MLB hasn’t commented on Trump’s announcement yet, but Rose’s complicated legacy continues to spark debate – even after his death.
