Donald Trump Calls for Pete Rose to Be Allowed Into Baseball Hall of Fame Before Funeral

Former President Donald Trump is calling for Major League Baseball legend and scandal-plagued Pete Rose to be allowed into baseball’s Hall of Fame before his funeral.

“The GREAT Pete Rose just died. He was one of the most magnificent baseball players ever to play the game. He paid the price! Major League Baseball should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago. Do it now, before his funeral!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page on September 30, the day Rose, 83, died.

TMZ reported that Rose was found dead by a family member at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. The cause of death was cardiovascular disease, according to an email from the medical examiner.

Rose’s baseball statistics are some of the best in history. For example, according to the Cincinnati Reds’ tribute post for him, he is baseball’s top hitter ever and a 17-time All-Star. However, his career was also plagued by scandal that kept him out of the Hall of Fame due to gambling on sports, including baseball, according to The New York Times. That’s considered a cardinal sin in the sport.

According to the Florida Times-Union, a woman also accused Rose of having a sexual relationship with her, starting in 1973, when she was 14 or 15 years old. Rose admitted having sex with the woman but said he thought she was 16, the newspaper reported.

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The Cincinnati Reds Touted Pete Rose’s Accomplishments in a Tribute Post

The Cincinnati Reds paid tribute to Rose, their star player for years, writing on X, “The Cincinnati Reds extend their deepest condolences to the family, friends, and teammates of Reds Hall of Famer Pete Rose, who passed away earlier today at the age of 83.”

“Our hearts are deeply saddened by the news of Pete’s passing,” said Bob Castellini, Reds Principal Owner and Managing Partner.

In their statement, the Reds listed Rose’s on-field accomplishments.

According to the statement Rose, “a 17-time All-Star, is the all-time MLB leader in hits (4.256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and singles (3,215.) He won three World Series (1975 & 76 with the Reds, 1980 with the Phillies), three batting titles (1968, ’69 & ’73), one National League Most Valuable Player Award (1973), two Gold Glove Awards (1969, ’70), NL Rookie of the Year Award (1963) and 1975 World Series MVP.”

In 1999, Rose “was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Rose was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016 and his iconic #14 was retired the same year. His statue outside Great American Ball Park was dedicated in 2017,” the team’s statement says.

“He was one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen and every team he played for was better because of him. Pete was a red through and through. No one loved the game more than Pete and no one loved Pete more than Reds Country. We must never forget what he accomplished,” Castellini wrote.

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Without His Gambling Issues, Pete Rose’s Induction Into the Hall of Fame ‘Would Otherwise Have Been a Certainty,’ a Report Says

According to The Times, Rose was banned from baseball in the 1980s for gambling on sports, and he was “subsequently declared ineligible for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, which would otherwise have been a certainty.”

The Sporting News reported that Rose “was banned from baseball” after agreeing “with the commissioner to accept a permanent ban from the sport’s highest level.”

According to The Sporting News, that action does not “necessarily keep him from the Hall of Fame, as the board in Cooperstown could have him posthumously appear on a ballot.”

The Sporting News reported that “several betting slips belonging to Rose were found in an Ohio restaurant,” sparking the scandal in 1989. One of Rose’s friends claimed Rose “would signal bets to him from the dugout during games, which Rose called ridiculous,” The Sporting News reported, adding that the friend said Rose said, “he would consider throwing a game if a large enough bet was placed on it.”

Major League Baseball has chosen to keep “him permanently ineligible to return, and the Hall kept him from the chance to be enshrined,” The Sporting News reported.

According to Forbes, Rose admitted in a 2004 book “that he bet on baseball games when he was a player and manager of the Cincinnati Reds.”

He apologized and asked to be reinstated in 2023, asking for forgiveness, Forbes reported. But he wasn’t hopeful. “To be honest with you, I’ve kind of given up on the Hall of Fame. I’ve been turned down so many times,” Rose told Forbes in 2023.

“My dream to be considered for the Hall of Fame,” Rose said, but his request was denied, according to Forbes.

He received some support from baseball great Rod Carew in his quest, Forbes reported. However, at that time, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters, according to Forbes, “When I dealt with the issue, the last time (Rose) applied for reinstatement, I made clear that I didn’t think that the function of that baseball (permanently ineligible) list was the same as the eligibility criteria for the Hall of Fame. That remains my position. I think it’s a conversation that really belongs in the Hall of Fame board. I’m on that board, and it’s just not appropriate for me to get in front of that conversation.”

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