President Donald Trump says he would pardon all-time hits leader Pete Rose, more than three decades after he was banned for life after an investigation found that he bet on baseball.
After years of denials, Rose finally admitted to gambling on baseball games in 2003. However, he said he never bet on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds, which he managed at the time of his banishment.
‘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!’ Trump posted on social media.
‘Over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete pardon of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on his team winning, He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history.’
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Trump did not specify which crime would cover the pardon, as Rose pleaded guilty in 1990 to two federal charges of filing false income tax returns and spent five months in prison.
Rose is still the MLB’s all-time leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and singles (3,215). He won three World Series championships, was a 17-time All-Star, and a three-time NL batting champion.