Pete Rose was banned from the MLB for life in 1989 for betting on games while he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds, in addition to being a manager for them. After two unsuccessful attempts through former commissioners Fay Vincent and Bud Selig, current commisoner Rob Manfred will give Rose the chance to be reinstated due to his “merits”.
“I want to make sure I understand all of the details of the Dowd Report and Commissioner [Bart] Giamatti’s decision and the agreement that was ultimately reached,” Manfred said after a meeting with Los Angeles Dodgers players in Arizona on Monday morning. “I want to hear what Pete has to say, and I’ll make a decision once I’ve done that.”
Rose who is now 73, played from 1963 to 1986 for the Reds. He accumulated 4,256 hits, which is still a major league record. Gaining reinstatement from the commissioner could be the first step to Rose reaching the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1991, the Hall of Fame decided to ban players who were on the permanently ineligible list from being inducted into the Hall.
Manfred took over from Selig in January and Selig was a vocal opponent of allowing Rose back into the game.
Source: ESPN