One of the great debates among MLB fans revolves around whether Pete Rose should be a part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. When looking at his statistics alone, it's a no-brainer: Rose is MLB's all-time leader in games played (3,562), plate appearances (15,890) and hits (4,256), and he also has an MVP award, 17 All-Star Game appearances, a pair of Gold Glove awards and three World Series rings on his resume.
Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. Rose was accused of and later admitted to betting on games he was a part of, acts that got him permanently banned from baseball in 1989 — and has made himb ineligible for iduction into the Hall of Fame ever since.
It was announced on Friday by president Donald Trump that Rose would be receiving a pardon in the matter of a couple of weeks. Trump did not say what the pardon would cover, which is important to note given that Rose served five months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges in 1990 and was far from a saint in general. Trump did make it clear, however, that he thought Rose should have never been banned by MLB in the first place.
"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," Trump wrote on social media. "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."
While a pardon appears to be coming Rose's way, that does not mean that a Hall of Fame induction is as well. In fact, it's abundantly clear that Rose will have to continue to wait to get to Cooperstown, if it ever happens, based on what former attorney John Dowd had to say.
In a statement to ESPN, John Dowd, who investigated Rose for MLB in 1989 and served as Trump's lawyer seven years ago, noted that MLB is "not in the pardon business nor does it control admission to the HOF."
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Pete Rose's looming pardon won't impact his Baseball Hall of Fame case
While receiving this pardon might feel good for Rose, at the end of the day, Dowd makes it clear that the Baseball Hall of Fame does not care.
The fact remains that Rose bet on baseball, committing one of the sport's cardinal sins. Sure, he only bet on his teams to win, but still — he bet on the game. We've seen many instances in sports of players receiving major punishments for betting, and Rose, even with his Hall of Fame resume, is no exception.
It'd be nice if MLB's all-time hits leader did not bet on games, but that is not the reality. As long as that remains on his resume, he will be on the outside looking in when discussing the Baseball Hall of Fame.