The all-time hit king will remain banned from baseball. Commissioner Rob Manfred has rejected Pete Rose's latest application for reinstatement, he announced Monday morning. The decision was detailed in a three-page legal document.
Manfred and Rose met at MLB's offices in September, at which point Rose made his case for reinstatement. This is hardly the first time Rose has applied for reinstatement. His first attempt was made back in 1992, when Fay Vincent was still commissioner.
Rose, now 74, has been banned from baseball since 1989, when a bombshell Sports Illustrated report detailed allegations he had bet on baseball. Rose insisted he only bet on games as a manager, but evidence has since surfaced indicating he may have done so as a player as well.
Following the league's initial investigation, Rose accepted a permanent ban in exchange for MLB making no formal finding regarding the gambling allegations. He was officially placed on the ineligible list on August 24, 1989, and has remained there since.
"The Commissioner called me this morning prior to the announcement. We respect his decision on the matter of Pete Rose and are grateful for his diligence and the amount of time he spent on the matter," said Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini. "We also appreciate that the Commissioner stated that Hall of Fame consideration is a separate issue and we and the fans think he deserves that opportunity.
"We are pleased that we have had and will continue to have opportunities to commemorate Pete's remarkable on-field accomplishments. Any future plans to celebrate Pete's career with the Reds first will be discussed with the Commissioner and then will be communicated publicly at the appropriate time."
CBS Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman first reported there was no chance Rose would be reinstated last month. There has never been a point this year or any other year in which it appeared reinstatement was remotely possible. It has always been an extreme long shot.
Rose retired with 4,256 career hits but has been ineligible for the Hall of Fame due to the permanent ban. Not betting on baseball is rule No. 1 for a player or manager. It raises questions about games being thrown and no league survives that breach of integrity if it isn't dealt with harshly.
MLB has allowed Rose to appear at the ballpark in recent years but he can not hold any kind of officially position with a team. Rose did appear in an on-field ceremony at the All-Star Game in Cincinnati this summer.
