On Monday, former MLB player and manager Pete Rose died at 83. Rose is the all-time hits leader with 4,256. He accomplished that feat over 24 professional seasons. While Rose is one of the best players in the history of the MLB, he had his legacy tarnished in 1989. He was involved in a gambling investigation that eventually led to his banishment from professional baseball. 

Attorney John Dowd reported that Pete Rose allegedly bet on at least 52 Cincinnati Reds games while he was the manager. He wagered thousands of dollars on sports, sometimes as much as $10,000 in a day. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seized betting slips that contained Rose’s name. That happened just weeks before his Attorney released a 225-page Dowd report. 

In June 1989, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtained gambling sheets with ample evidence against Rose. However, he insisted that he was not wagering on baseball. On August 24, 1989, Rose accepted a spot on the MLB’s permanent ineligible list. In a 2004 autobiography “My Prison Without Bars”, Rose finally admitted to wagering on baseball. Rose tried several times to be re-instated back into the league but had no success. Since Rose has now passed away, don’t be surprised if the MLB  eventually reinstates him.

Pete Rose could be reinstated into the MLB after his passing

Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hit mark in 1985 and cemented himself as one of the all-time greats. He finished with 4,256 hits in his career and had a .300 batting average or better in 15 of his 24 seasons. While Rose is Hall of Fame material, he never made it into Cooperstown in his lifetime. That’s because Rose bet on professional baseball when he was a manager. 

In 2004, Rose admitted to betting on the MLB and he tried several times be be reinstated back into baseball. He tried in 2015 but Rose was denied by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. The commissioner wanted Rose to be more upfront about the gambling that took place almost 35 years ago. His last efforts were in 2020 and 2022 but Rose was once again denied by Rob Manfred.