Reactions to Pete Rose’s MLB reinstatement range from gambling jokes to anger to disgust
Some were angry it took this long, while others are upset Rose now has a chance to enter the Hall of Fame. The reaction to Shoeless Joe Jackson wasn’t quite as divisive.
Less than a year after Pete Rose’s death, Major League Baseball on Tuesday reinstated the Reds and Phillies great, along with former White Sox star “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, from the permanent ineligible list, paving the way for both to earn Hall of Fame consideration.
Rose played five seasons with the Phillies and was on the 1980 World Series team. He also holds the all-time hits record. Jackson, who played for the Philadelphia A’s from 1908-09 and later found success with the Chicago White Sox, holds the fourth-highest batting average in MLB history.
Rose was suspended in 1989 for gambling on baseball while managing the Reds. Jackson was suspended for his role in the Black Sox scandal, when the White Sox intentionally lost the 1919 World Series, although Jackson’s role in the scandal is disputed.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred ruled that ineligibility should end after a player’s death, reinstating Rose, Jackson, and other members of the Black Sox. Some greeted the decision with support but were disappointed that Manfred waited until Rose had died in order to reinstate him.
But others were not pleased that Rose, who also faced statutory rape allegations which led to the cancellation of Rose’s Phillies Wall of Fame ceremony, will now have the opportunity to get into the Hall of Fame.
Others questioned the hypocrisy of keeping out players due to steroid usage if gamblers were able to get in, although there are no active bans on players who were caught using steroids.
But many were excited to see Jackson get another opportunity, due to his questionable involvement in the scandal.