Rob Manfred Claims Donald Trump Played Huge Role in Reinstatement of Pete Rose

Pete Rose holds the record for the most hits in MLB with 4,276 while playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos.

Rob Manfred Claims Donald Trump Played Huge Role in Reinstatement of Pete Rose

Rob Manfred, Pete Rose and Donald Trump (Image via Imago/Newsweek)

A month ago, the MLB made a huge announcement. The league revealed that the late great Pete Rose and 16 other stars were being reinstated and made eligible for the MLB Hall of Fame. Commissioner Rob Manfred later claimed that President Donald Trump played a huge part in this.

Rose, the former Cincinnati Reds star, is known as the hit king of MLB. He holds the record for the most hits in the league with 4,256. However, he never made it to the MLB Hall of Fame as due to his gambling scandal.

It was found out that Rose would gamble on MLB games and even placed bets on the matches he managed. In 1989, the league would permanently ban the Ohio-native from the MLB Hall of Fame eligibility list.

Rose would ask for a second chance in the MLB and requested to be reinstated. He passed away on September 30, 2024.

The ban that was placed on him and others has now been lifted. While speaking with Evan Drellich of The Athletic, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged that President Trump played a huge influence in the league’s decision to reinstate Rose and the others.

The President was one of a number of voices that was supportive of the idea that this was the right decision. Obviously, I have respect for the office and the advice that he gave. I paid attention to [it]. But I had a lot of other people that were weighing in on the topic as well.

What did Donald Trump say regarding Pete Rose before?

It is no secret that Donald Trump is a huge supporter of Pete Rose. He had been voicing support for him for a while and made a huge statement on his Truth Social account earlier this year.

Donald Trump and Pete Rose
Donald Trump and Pete Rose (Image via Thought Co/The Independent)

Before the decision was made by the MLB, Trump advocated for the reinstatement of Rose into the MLB HOF eligibility list. At the end of February, the US President claimed that he would be signing for a complete pardon of Rose.

Over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete pardon of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on his team winning. He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history.

Rose made his debut in the league in 1963 and spent the majority of his playing career with the Reds. After playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Montreal Expos, he would return to the Reds in 1984 and retire in 1986.

During this tenure as a player, he would collect 17 All-Star appearances and won the World Series 3 times in 1975, 1976, and 1980. He would also spend 6 seasons as the manager of the Reds.

When will Pete Rose be eligible for the MLB Hall of Fame?

The MLB Hall of Fame is decided by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). A player has a 10-year eligibility and needs a total of 75 percent votes to make it to the Hall of Fame. However, things will be different for Pete Rose.

Pete Rose
Pete Rose (Image via People)

Rose is no longer eligible for consideration from the writers. So, he and the others who were reinstated will need other methods.

As per reports, Rose’s candidacy for the Hall of Fame will be passed to the Classic Baseball committee. This committee will meet in December 2027. He will need 75 percent of the votes to get elected into the Hall of Fame. If he does get that, he will be inducted into the HOF in 2028.

The big question now obviously is – will he get those votes? Only time will reveal whether Rose will finally find his plaque in Cooperstown.

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