Pete Rose will go down as one of the greatest baseball players in history.
Fans were wondering if he would finally get his due.
And Pete Rose made one final swing at resolving this terrible situation.
Pete Rose’s battle to get into the Hall of Fame
Major League Baseball’s (MLB) all-time hits leader Pete Rose passed away at the age of 83 recently.
He had 4,256 career hits during the course of 24 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos.
Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” Rose won three batting titles, was a 17-time All-Star, and a three-time World Series Champion.
For all of his legendary accomplishments on the diamond, the conservation about Rose has been about his fight to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Rose was placed on the permanently ineligible list in 1989 for violating MLB’s Rule 21 for betting on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds.
Then, a rule targeted at him was passed in 1991 that barred anyone on the permanently ineligible list from ever being eligible for the Hall of Fame.
Rose’s final swing at the Hall of Fame
Rose fought to get into the Hall of Fame all the way until the end of his life.
He gave what would be his final interview to KTLA 5 News in September where he argued he should be included in Cooperstown.
“The only thing I could think of that would make that happen is I got suspended in 1989,” Rose said. “You know how many years ago that was? I mean, time usually creates everything; and it’s been a long time and there’s been a lot of negatives happening in the world of baseball.”
Rose admitted what he did was wrong but noted how far worse people were let back in the game.
“Don’t get me wrong, I was absolutely, 110% wrong with what I did; but to do something like I did — and that’s bet on a baseball game — and now you’re punished for the rest of your life, I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to a lot of people… Other guys will kill somebody, or they’ll be strung out on drugs, or they’ll beat their wives and stuff like that; and [in] a couple years, they’re back in the game,” Rose explained.
Baseball’s all-time hit king argued that he should be inducted into the Hall before he died for his family and fans.
“I don’t see much sense in putting me on the ballot after I die because for a player to go into his or her Hall of Fame, it’s more or less for your family and it’s more or less for your fanbase — and I’m big on both of those two things right there,” Rose explained.
Rose emphasized the importance of getting inducted while he was still alive.
“And I know most of the people who rooted for me my whole career would love to see me in the Hall of Fame as a living player, not as someone that’s 10 feet under; and I always thought about that. What good would it do my family if they put me in the Hall of Fame after I die?” Rose asked.
“I can’t think of anything good about that because I’m the one that did the work. I’m the one that put the time in. I’m the one who was dedicated to the game of baseball,” Rose continued. “I was the one dedicated to my teammates, to the three teams I played for, and for the game of baseball in general!”
There was a groundswell of support for finally putting Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame after his death.
It remains to be seen if MLB will ever back off its ban.