Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson not the only players to have MLB ban lifted

Hindustan Times

13-05-2025

Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday announced that 17 dead individuals—16 players and one owner—will have their permanent bans lifted. This takes them off the ineligible list, potentially opening the door for their consideration in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Two big names among the 17 were Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Manfred's ruling, prompted by a petition from Rose's family following his death on September 30, 2024, establishes that permanent ineligibility ends upon an individual's passing.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame, through a statement by Chairman Jane Forbes Clark, confirmed that those removed from the ineligible list are now eligible for candidacy, with consideration possible via the Classic Baseball Era Committee starting December 2027.
1. Pete Rose – MLB's all-time hit leader (4,256 hits), banned in 1989 for betting on Cincinnati Reds games as a player and manager.
2. Shoeless Joe Jackson – Chicago White Sox outfielder, banned in 1921 for his role in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, despite a .375 World Series batting average.
3. Eddie Cicotte – Black Sox pitcher, banned for accepting money to throw the 1919 World Series.
4. Happy Felsch – Black Sox center fielder, implicated in the 1919 scandal for conspiring with gamblers.
5. Chick Gandil – Black Sox first baseman, a key figure in organizing the 1919 World Series fix.
6. Fred McMullin – Black Sox utility player, banned for accepting payments in the 1919 scandal.
7. Swede Risberg – Black Sox shortstop, banned for his role in the 1919 World Series conspiracy.
8. Buck Weaver – Black Sox third baseman, banned despite refusing payments, for not reporting the fix.
9. Lefty Williams– Black Sox pitcher, banned for throwing games in the 1919 World Series.
10. Joe Gedeon – St. Louis Browns second baseman, banned in 1920 for associating with gamblers tied to the Black Sox.
11. Gene Paulette – St. Louis Cardinals first baseman, banned in 1921 for allegedly fixing games.
12. Benny Kauff – New York Giants outfielder, banned in 1921 for auto theft and alleged game-fixing ties.
13. **Lee Magee** – Cincinnati Reds outfielder, banned in 1920 for betting on games and attempting to fix them.
14. Phil Douglas – New York Giants pitcher, banned in 1922 for attempting to bribe an opponent to throw a game.
15. Cozy Dolan – New York Giants player-coach, banned in 1924 for alleged game-fixing.
16. Jimmy O'Connell – New York Giants outfielder, banned in 1924 for offering a bribe to influence a game.
17. William Cox – Philadelphia Phillies owner, banned in 1943 for betting on his team's games.