For decades, Pete Rose’s name has lived in the shadows of baseball’s infamous ineligible list—a punishment that has outlasted his playing days, his managerial career, and now, even his life. But now, his family is making one final push for redemption. On January 8, they formally petitioned Commissioner Rob Manfred to posthumously remove the all-time hit leader from the list that has kept him from the Hall of Fame and official recognition. And just like that, an old wound in baseball’s history is reopened. And according to multiple sources, this move has reignited discussions across the league.

At the heart of the petition is Jeffrey Lenkov, a Los Angeles attorney who represented Rose in his final years before the baseball icon passed away at 83 in late September. Lenkov, alongside Rose’s eldest daughter, Fawn Rose, presented the reinstatement request after a pivotal meeting with Manfred and MLB spokesman Pat Courtney on December 17. 

MLB commissioner’s stance on the ban situation

MLB sources confirm that Commissioner Rob Manfred had recently communicated with Fawn Rose and attorney Jeffrey Lenkov on the question of a petition for the reinstatement of Pete Rose, all-time hit leader, into good standing with Major League Baseball. Manfred is still contemplating the petition, although it is far from a done deal. Stemming from such meetings was something similar back in 2015, when Manfred heard Rose’s case for reinstatement before denying it after a face-to-face meeting with Rose himself.

But why was Rose banned from the game? The ban was imposed upon Rose by then commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in the year 1989 owing to his gambling practices. Now, with legal and political minds weighing in on the question, there remains the ever-so-seductive question: Will the man who holds the most hits in MLB history ever be welcomed back into the game, or is his legacy forever tied to the controversy that has defined it?

Why can’t Pete Rose be inducted into the Hall of Fame? 

In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame enacted a rule pertaining to Rose’s banishment: Every player who has become ineligible by reason of Major League Baseball shall not appear on a Hall of Fame ballot. This rule, termed the “Pete Rose rule,” came shortly after Rose’s indefinite ban and continues to stand between him and the Hall of Fame.

Pete Rose has never been suitable for election to the Hall of Fame, even though he made great history there on the field. Now, Jeffrey Lenkov is not only seeking a landmark ruling by Commissioner Rob Manfred with respect to removing Rose from the ineligible list, but his ultimate ambition is to use that ruling to change Rose’s status with the Hall of Fame. Lenkov believes that it could help convince the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to allow Rose to finally appear on the ballot for induction.

However, the Hall of Fame’s stance has been clear: even if Rose is removed from the banned list posthumously, he still would not be eligible for consideration. Hall of Fame officials have maintained that any player on the banned list at the time of their death will remain ineligible for induction. Will the Baseball Hall of Fame’s rules evolve with the times, or will Pete Rose’s legendary career forever be excluded from the honor?