Aaron Boone's Strong Response to MLB’s Latest Pete Rose Controversy

For Aaron Boone, it was personal. He grew up around Pete Rose; he wasn’t just baseball’s Hit King, he was his father’s teammate and friend. So the news of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s controversial decision to lift Pete Rose’s lifetime ban this week wasn’t just a big moment for baseball—it was personal for Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Rose, who died last September at 83, had been banned from baseball since 1989 for betting on the game. With the ban lifted and his name removed from MLB’s permanently ineligible list, Rose is now eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, a debate that’s raged for decades.

Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose in the dugout at Riverfront Stadium during the 1987 season.

Tony Tomsic-Imagn Images

For Boone, it hits close to home.

His father, Bob Boone, played alongside Pete Rose on the Phillies from 1979 to 1981. That connection built a bond between the Boone and Rose families. Boone even spoke with Pete Rose Jr. on Tuesday after the news broke.

“I think it’s a good thing,”  Boone told reporters at T-Mobile Park before Tuesday's game against the Mariners. “Obviously, I have a long history with Pete and the family. I even talked to Junior today. Hopefully, this is a good thing for baseball and his family. At the end of the day, I always feel like the Hall of Fame’s a museum. I’ve always felt like he should be in there, while understanding the ban from baseball. It’s my era, my love of the game, and because I’ve had a close relationship with that family, I’m happy about it.”

Boone has long believed Pete Rose should have been in the Hall of Fame years ago. While he understands the seriousness of the betting scandal, he sees the Hall as a place to preserve baseball history.

“With the Hall of Fame, it’s always felt simple to me,” Boone said. “He should have been in there. His impact on the game is undeniable.”

Now, with the ban lifted, baseball’s Hit King might get a place in Cooperstown.