Products You May Like
TMZSports.com
If it were up to David Ortiz, there would be no debate over Pete Rose‘s Hall of Fame candidacy … as he tells TMZ Sports the Reds legend should have been inducted years ago.
Big Papi made his opinion loud and clear while out at LAX on Friday — just four days after Rose died from heart disease — saying straight up, “I thought he should have been a Hall of Famer a long time ago.”
“Mistakes are mistakes,” the former Red Sox star said. “But sometimes there’s exceptions to the rules, you know what I’m saying? And, he’s one-of-a-kind.”
Rose, of course, was well on his way to earning a plaque in Cooperstown … after he put together a career that featured 17 All-Star appearances, 4,256 hits and a .303 batting average.
But, after the MLB determined he bet on games during his post-playing days as Reds manager, he was banned from baseball for life.
Many — including Donald Trump — have argued now that he’s passed, he should get in posthumously … and, clearly, Ortiz — who got inducted into the HOF back in 2022 — believes the same.
As for today’s players, Ortiz spoke with us about Shohei Ohtani‘s impending playoff debut … and if you’re a Dodger fan worried about how he’s going to handle the bright lights — Ortiz says you can stop wringing those hands now!