Former President Donald Trump said he would pardon Pete Rose, the all-time Major League Baseball hits leader who has been banned from the sport since 1989 for betting on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
"He went through 40 years of hell," Trump said, referring to Rose's decades-long exclusion from baseball and the Hall of Fame. Rose, 83, accepted a permanent place on MLB's ineligible list in 1989 after an investigation found he bet on Reds games. He has repeatedly applied for reinstatement without success.
A presidential pardon would not automatically restore Rose's eligibility for the Hall of Fame or return him to good standing with Major League Baseball, as those decisions rest with the sport's governing body. The Baseball Hall of Fame requires candidates to be eligible for MLB honors.
Rose finished his playing career with 4,256 hits, a record that still stands. He won three World Series titles, three batting titles, and was named National League MVP in 1973.
