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Former MLB star Mo Vaughn expressed his sympathy for Pete Rose and his family because the baseball legend did not enter the Hall of Fame while he was alive.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred removed Rose from the permanently unjustified list in May 2025, months after his death, which allowed Rose to finally be considered for Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I feel bad for him and his family that now that he has gone on and is in heaven that we are now taking him off (the permanently unjustified list),” Vaughn told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview.
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(Left) Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Pete Rose gives the thumb up to the fans as he is introduced during a first name ceremony that reveals his bronze statue outside the stadium before the MLB National League game between Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park in the center of Cincinnati, Ohio, 17. Vaughn goes to Kandehaugen before the ceremonial first pitch on opening day at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, April 15, 2022. (Imag/Getty Images)
“I love Pete Rose. I think Pete Rose is baseball. I think he exemplifies everything baseball is.”
The American League -MVP from 1995 said Rose should be awarded a certain latitude for his mistakes. Rose became a polarizing figure when news about his games at play shook the sports world, and he received a life ban in 1989.
Rose admitted to playing in 2004 after years of asserting his innocence.
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Cincinnati Red’s Hall of Famer Pete Rose gives the thumb to fans as he is introduced during a first name ceremony to reveal a bronze statue in his honor before the MLB National League game between Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 17, 2017. (IMagn)
“If there is a guy that I feel should be introduced should be awarded a certain latitude. And I know, oh, you know, yes, you have to apologize. Listen, we will all get, we all make mistakes,” Vaughn said. “He did not focus on his team. He was betting on his team.”
Vaughn also cited Major League Baseball’s partnerships with gaming companies as another reason Rose was to be introduced.
Rose is MLBS Hit King with 4,256 career hits. He was the National League MVP in 1974 and was a 17-time all-Star, a three-time world champion and a three-time batting master.
Former Red Sox player Mo Vaughn goes to Kandehaugen before the ceremonial first pitch on opening day at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, April 15, 2022. All players carry (42) in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Vaughn played in the big leagues for 12 seasons. He spent eight with Boston Red Sox, two with the then Anaheim Angels and two with Mets.
The three-time All-Star had a .293 career-batting average with 328 home runs and 1,064 RBI. He has a podcast called “The Mo Vaughn Podcast,” which debuted in August. He has interviewed former MLB Commissioner Bud Selige, six-time all-Star Kenny Lofton and many other former players.
