Reds celebrate 'Pete Rose Night' after MLB all-time hits leader's removal from ineligible list

Pete Rose is off the MLB ineligible list and permitted for Hall of Fame consideration. The Cincinnati Reds are taking advantage of the moment.

As luck would have it, the Reds already had "Pete Rose Night" scheduled for Wednesday, one day after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced he was removing Rose and a dozen other deceased ball players from MLB's permanently ineligible list. The decision opens the door for Rose to get his first shot at the Hall of Fame in December 2027.

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It's unclear how much the Reds already had planned to honor MLB's all-time hits leader, but it can't be denied they went all out with special No. 14 warm-up shirts and a three-minute long tribute video before their game against the Chicago White Sox.

All fans in attendance received a free replica road Rose jersey, and gave a standing ovation during a pregame scenario honoring the late ballplayer.

The Reds also shared images of a large display of red roses around Rose's statue at Great American Ball Park.

Earlier in the day, they dedicated Rose's childhood baseball field as Pete Rose Field.

The Reds retired Rose's No. 14 with MLB's blessing in 2016, part of a softening relationship between the league and player during the later years of Rose's life. He spent much of his retired life as a baseball pariah, spending much of his time in casinos and autograph conventions.

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Wednesday saw a full reversal of that status, with thousands of fans cheering for a man who accepted a permanent ban from the game in 1989 in the face of overwhelming evidence he had bet on the Reds while managing them in the late 1980s, then had his legacy further clouded by statutory rape allegations.

Manfred's decision was largely treated as a vindication for Rose's legacy, with the commissioner presenting it as a merciful act eight months after the man's death (and two months after President Donald Trump made very clear he wanted it done). The next step for Rose would be Cooperstown enshrinement, though its still unclear how that side of the equation will work out.

Will Pete Rose actually make the Hall of Fame?

When discussing how Rose's removal from the ineligible list finally clears the way for him to enter the Hall of Fame, it's important to remember he was only off the ballot because the Hall of Fame unanimously voted for a rule to explicitly ban ineligible list players right before his turn was about to come up.

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The Hall of Fame did not want to make a plaque for Rose in 1991, and Rose's current candidacy entirely depends on how much that stance has softened among the 16-member Classic Baseball Era Committee.

Rose certainly did nothing to help himself while he was out of the sport, as he missed his best chance to come off the ineligible list when Bud Selig made him an offer reportedly contingent on him coming clean. He did finally admit to betting on baseball as Reds manager in 2004 and even started apologizing a few years later, but there is physical evidence he went to his grave still lying about making bets as a player.

That's just the matter of Rose's betting. There's also the fact that one of his bats in 1985, used while in pursuit of Ty Cobb's hits record, was found to contain telltale signs of corking in 2010, with another guy later coming forward to say he did bat-corking for Rose.

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And then there are the truly heinous allegations raised by former Rose investigator John Dowd. Dowd alleged in a 2015 interview that Rose committed statutory rape with 12-to-14-year-old girls provided by a memorabilia dealer at spring training in the 1970s, when he was a married father of two in his 30s.

Rose sued for defamation, and Dowd's legal team responded with a sworn statement from a woman who says she had a consensual relationship with Rose in Ohio when she was younger than 16 years old. That fallout saw Rose fired from his job at Fox Sports, and the defamation lawsuit was later dismissed with prejudice after the two sides reached an agreement. Years later, Rose didn't deny the allegations so much as express annoyance they were brought up.

For years, Rose's case has been presented as a matter of how much grace MLB is willing to give him, but being eligible for the Hall of Fame could mean reckoning with some aspects of his character that came to light well after his ban. And now, 12 people need to be convinced he really is worthy of the Hall of Fame.