Pete Rose has stepped up his quest to make the Hall of Fame.
The 81-year-old Rose sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred this week asking to be reinstated to baseball so he can be considered for the Hall of Fame. Former MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti banned Rose from baseball in 1989 for betting on the sport in the 1980s while serving as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Rose petitioned Manfred to be reinstated in 2015, but was denied.
In the letter, obtained by TMZ Sports, Rose says he wants to make it clear he’s sorry for what he did, and he asks for forgiveness. Finally, he says he wrote the letter, “because I still think every day about what it would mean to be considered for the Hall of Fame.”
Pete Rose needs to be placed into the @baseballhall ASAP! He’s paid his dues, he has held himself accountable, and he’s the best ⚾️ player to EVER play the game! @RobManfred do the right thing, it’s time! 💯#enough @MLB @PeteRose_14 @scootsaw pic.twitter.com/M7Tn7l3YrT
— Steve Kost (@kostal_16) November 11, 2022
Rose, a 17-time All-Star and baseball’s all-time hits leader, would be a shoo-in for the hall if not for the gambling cloud and lifetime ban. Things have changed in the sport in the years since, however, with the rise of legalized gambling and MLB’s embrace of the practice.
“You can’t imagine how painful it is when I see my teammates from all the great teams I played on and players I played against go about their lives in ways I wanted to,” Rose wrote. “I want to be a part of that too and I know I probably never will. I am so grateful for the time I shared with them on and off the field. Nothing replaces it.”
Baseball fans had mixed reactions to Rose’s letter.
Classic Era baseball committee to decide. It should not be Manfred alone
— Ed Johnson🇨🇦🇬🇧🇯🇲🇫🇷 (@eaje) November 12, 2022
He needs to give it up. He made a deal so all the crap he was into wouldnt be exposed. This guy is a stain on baseball. Hes spent years thumbing his nose at baseball and his death bed conversion is just manipulation.
— 2 and 2 to Harvey Kuenn (@CIAisCYA) November 12, 2022
Put him in or stop advertising betting every half inning. Gambling either is wrong or it’s not.
— Ray Mitten (@Raymitten) November 11, 2022
Pete is a good dude Peeps doing worse today and everybody knows it
— Dr. Tyson Perry ↙️ (@Kfed007) November 12, 2022
Put him in. On his plaque write, "Banned for betting on baseball"
— Frank Cossentino (@frank_coz) November 12, 2022
Pete Rose never took steroids. I think they should lift the ban but it doesn’t look like they will.
— A. Osayamwen (@boo32985) November 12, 2022
