MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred calls decision to take Pete Rose off permanently ineligible list 'difficult'

Major League Baseball lifts permanent ban on Pete Rose and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson, clearing the way for potential induction into the Hall of Fame.

Major League Baseball removed Pete Rose from its permanently ineligible list earlier this month. 

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that the decision to reinstate Rose was "difficult."

"It's a difficult decision because people are passionate about issues like this," Manfred said in a recent appearance on "CBS Mornings." 

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Pete Rose waves to his fans during the unveiling of a bronze statue dedicated to him at Great American Ball Park on Saturday, Jun. 17, 2017. (IMAGN)

"When you come up (on) the side of the business that I came up, living up to your agreements is a really important thing and this was overdue in my opinion." 

Manfred said there were three different factors that drove the decision to reinstate MLB's hit king.

"Number one: Our permanently ineligible list is effectively a ban on working in the game. This is a matter of logic. There's no reason to have a person who has passed away still on that list. Number two: Pete Rose is a part of the history of our game. Every other player, including 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson, has been considered by the Hall of Fame and they've made a decision. I saw no reason to leave Pete Rose out there as one of one, no consideration," Manfred said. 

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Oct 29, 2024; New York, NY, USA; MLB commissioner Rob Manfred before game four of the 2024 MLB World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

"And then, last, I think what people don't realize is