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Pete Rose may finally be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028.
December 2027 is the first time MLB's all-time hits leader will officially be considered for a plaque in Cooperstown after Major League Baseball announced last month that those on the game's ineligible list are taken off after they die.
The Hall ruled in 1991 that it would follow MLB's ineligible list and not consider anyone on it. Now that Rose is off, he is eligible for induction through the Hall's Classic Era Committee, which does not meet for another 2½ years.
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Alex Rodriguez and Pete Rose in a split photo. (Imagn)
If and when Rose gets in, he will not be there to celebrate it. He died in September at the age of 83. For Alex Rodriguez, who has a compelling Cooperstown case of his own, it's bittersweet.
"It makes me happy and sad at the same time because Pete was such a friend, and I know that his heart ached a lot because he wasn't in," Rodriguez, who worked with Rose at FOX, said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "I wish more than anything that that could have been done while he was alive.
"You know, I always say that eulogies should be done when you're living, not when you're dead, because some of the nicest things about people are never heard by the principal. But, you know, hopefully his family enjoys it, and I know that he's somewhere watching it. And I hope that he's happy and proud. We are, certainly."
Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds at bat against the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta Aug. 2, 1978. At left is Atlanta catcher Joe Nolan. (AP Photo, File)
The former New York Yankees star, though, isn't focused on whether the argument for Rose would eventually help his own cause, considering his performance-enhancing drug involvement.
"It’s not my argument to fight. I'm just trying to do the best I can with my life and the back nine of my life and trying to do things the right way. I've learned from my mistakes. I've moved on. I hope to get in one day, but, again, I think I'll let other people fight that fight for me," he said.
Rose admitted to gambling in 2004 after years of claiming his innocence. He died in September and predicted 10 days before his death he would not make the Hall of Fame until after he died, if at all.
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Pete Rose gives a thumbs up to the fans as he is introduced during a pregame ceremony for the unveiling of his bronze statue being installed outside the stadium before a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati June 17, 2017. (Imagn)
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It was determined that Rose gambled on the Reds, only to win, while he was both a manager and a player. It was reported more recently, though, that Rose also gambled on baseball before he became a manager.
He was ruled ineligible in 1989 and was never reinstated while he was alive despite numerous attempts.
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