Trump one of 'supportive' voices to back Pete Rose's removal from ineligible list, MLB commish says

Trump's influence a possible factor in MLB's removal of Pete Rose from permanently ineligible list, ESPN broadcaster Karl Ravech says during an appearance on OutKick's "The Ricky Cobb Show."

Scrutiny increased over Pete Rose’s Baseball Hall of Fame eligibility once the former Cincinnati Reds star died last year, as President Donald Trump weighed in with his own thoughts on the issue.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred removed Rose, and several other players, from the ineligible list in May, allowing the possibility of those athletes being voted into the Hall of Fame. He admitted at a news conference owners meeting on Wednesday that Trump’s support for Rose was one of the many factors that went into the decision.

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks at the SBJ CAA World Congress of Sport on April 22, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

"The president was one of a number of voices that was supportive of the idea that this was the right decision," Manfred said. "Obviously, I have respect for the office and the advice that he gave I paid attention to, but I had a lot of other people that were weighing in on the topic, as well."

Trump wrote on Truth Social in March that he planned to pardon Rose. He and Manfred met in April about Rose’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

"Major League Baseball didn’t have the courage or decency to put the late, great, Pete Rose, also known as ‘Charlie Hustle,’ into the Baseball Hall of fame. Now he is dead, will never experience the thrill of being selected, even though he was a FAR BETTER PLAYER than most of those who made it, and can only be named posthumously. WHAT A SHAME!" the president wrote.

"Anyway, over the next few