Yankees legend: Pete Rose would’ve still been alive if he were in Hall of Fame

Pete Rose died on Sept. 30, 2024, via natural causes at 83, but one New York Yankees legend believes there was another underlying reason for his death.

His “lifetime” banishment from baseball for betting on games, which until this year seemed like it would last forever. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated Rose from the permanently ineligible list in May.

“Pete Rose, a great friend of mine,” Alex Rodriguez told WFAN Friday at Fanatics Fest. “It just breaks my heart that he’s gonna get in now. But I actually feel that if he would have gotten in, he would have lived another five years. Because I had never met anyone that loves baseball more than Pete Rose. And it broke my heart that he couldn’t get in while he was alive. But baseball is tough, right? It was a lifetime sentence, it is a lifetime sentence. I got to do my time and live with it forever.”

Rose’s ban was lifted eight months after his death, paving the way for Rose to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Rose agreed with then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti to a permanent ban on Aug. 23, 1989, following an investigation commissioned by Major League Baseball concluded Rose repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager of the team from 1985-87, a violation of a long-standing MLB rule.

Rose first applied for reinstatement in September 1997, but Commissioner Bud Selig never ruled on the request. Manfred in 2015 rejected a petition for reinstatement, saying “Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life.”

Rose died Sept. 30 at age 83, and a new petition was filed Jan. 8 by Jeffrey Lenkov, a lawyer who represented Rose. Lenkov and Rose’s daughter Fawn had met with Manfred on Dec. 17.

Rose’s supporters have included U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he intends to pardon Rose posthumously. Manfred discussed Rose with Trump when the pair met in April, but he hasn’t disclosed specifics of their conversation.

In a letter to Lenkov, Manfred wrote, “In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase ‘permanently ineligible’ should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others.

“In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served.”

Rose, a 17-time All-Star, is MLB’s all-time hits leader (4,256), with three batting titles on his resume. He’s also won three World Series, including winning World Series MVP in 1975.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.