Pedro Martinez will be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer. He’d like for Charlie Hustle to join him in Cooperstown.
Martinez, who was just hired as an analyst for MLB Network, said Wednesday he thinks Pete Rose should be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose, of course, has been banned from Major League Baseball since 1989 for betting on games.
“With all due respect to everybody, and to the Hall of Fame, the new commissioner, and the former commissioner, I believe he should be in there,” Martinez told reporters on a conference call. “I’ve always been very vocal about Pete because I remember coming up in the 80s and watching Pete Rose — Charlie Hustle, as they called him. His performance in the field, to me, was outstanding.
“What he did was special for the game. I think he paid his dues already. I think he’s been suffering long enough for not being in. I think he should be in.”
Rose, who played 24 seasons (19 with the Cincinnati Reds), still holds MLB’s all-time hits record with 4,256.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Leifheit/USA TODAY Sports Images
