Background

Phase 2 wantlist hit cleared. The 'Pete Rose rule' and the May 2025 Manfred reinstatement: Rule 3(E) was adopted shortly after Rose's August 23, 1989 Agreement and Resolution (in archive) — specifically, on February 4, 1991, about 11 months before Rose would have first appeared on the 1992 BBWAA ballot. The rule was widely understood at the time as 'the Pete Rose rule.' Its renvoi structure (it points to the Ineligible List rather than naming particular individuals) is what allows Manfred's May 13, 2025 posthumous reinstatement decision (in archive) to operationally reopen eligibility for Rose and 16 others without amending Rule 3(E) itself — the rule's text remains unchanged; what changes is the underlying Ineligible List. Procedural note on the 1991 board resolution document: the underlying board resolution adopting the rule on February 4, 1991 is not known to exist as a publicly-accessible standalone document. The Hall of Fame's official 'BBWAA Voting Rules History' page (baseballhall.org/hall-of-fame/voting-rules-history) is the institutional record of the rule's adoption history; contemporaneous independent press coverage (Washington Post February 5, 1991; Deseret News February 4, 1991) is the public-record source for the board's vote count (12-0 with four directors absent including Commissioner Vincent who recused) and Stack's adoption statement. The Era Committee pathway: with Rule 3(E) no longer barring Rose, the 1919 Black Sox, and the other 14 reinstated individuals per Manfred's May 2025 decision, all 17 are now Hall-eligible. Because all 17 are long retired (the most recent active player among them was Rose, retired 1986), they fall under the Era Committee process rather than the BBWAA ballot process. The Classic Baseball Era Committee (covering players whose primary contribution came before 1980) is the most likely pathway. Era Committee Election Rules are separately published and not included in this entry; future-pass acquisition target. Cross-source discrepancy (Section 3(A)): baseballhall.org's text of Section 3(A) reads 'fifteen (15) years before and ending five (5) years prior to election' while bbwaa.com reads 'twenty (20) years before and ending five (5) years prior to election.' The 2014 Hall of Fame Board reduction of ballot duration (from 15 years to 10 years on the ballot, affecting the 2015 election cycle and after) is the relevant amendment in the rule's recent history; whether the discrepancy reflects an out-of-date BBWAA page, an out-of-date Hall of Fame page, or two different time windows being referenced (e.g., 'active during' vs. 'retired by') is not resolved in this entry. Section 3(E) — the focus of this archive entry — is identical between the two sources.

Key provisions

• Rule 3(E) (the 'Pete Rose rule', adopted Feb 4, 1991): 'Any player on Baseball's ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate.'
• Rule 3(A) (ballot-eligibility window): 'A baseball player must have been active as a player in the major leagues at some time during a period beginning fifteen (15) years before and ending five (5) years prior to election.' (Per baseballhall.org. Bbwaa.com reads 'twenty (20) years before' — cross-source discrepancy noted in metadata.)
• Rule 3(B) (ten championship seasons): 'Player must have played in each of ten (10) major league championship seasons, some part of which must have been within the period described in 3(A).'
• Rule 3(C) (five-year retirement waiting period): 'Player shall have ceased to be an active player in the major leagues at least five (5) calendar years preceding the election but may be otherwise connected with baseball.'
• Rule 3(D) (death exception to retirement waiting period): 'In case of the death of an active player or a player who has been retired for less than five (5) full years, a candidate who is otherwise eligible shall be eligible in the next regular election held at least six (6) months after the date of death or after the end of the five (5) year period, whichever occurs first.'
• Rule 4(C) (75% election threshold): 'Any candidate receiving votes on seventy-five percent (75%) of the ballots cast shall be elected to membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.'
• Rule 5 (voting criteria): 'Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.'
• Rule 6 (no automatic elections): 'No automatic elections based on performances such as a batting average of .400 or more for one (1) year, pitching a perfect game or similar outstanding achievement shall be permitted.'
• Rule 9 (amendment authority): 'The Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum reserves the right to revoke, alter or amend these rules at any time.'

Notable provisions

Any player on Baseball's ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate.— BBWAA Election Rules, Section 3(E) (current text as of 2026; adopted Feb 4, 1991)

The directors felt that it would be incongruous to have a person who has been declared ineligible by baseball to be eligible for baseball's highest honor.— Edward W. Stack, President, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, statement following the February 4, 1991 board vote adopting Rule 3(E) (quoted in contemporaneous Washington Post and Deseret News coverage, February 4-5, 1991; recorded in the Hall of Fame's BBWAA Voting Rules History page at `baseballhall.org/hall-of-fame/voting-rules-history`)

Further context

Hall of Fame BBWAA Election Rules (Section 3(E) — the "Pete Rose rule")

The current BBWAA Election Rules for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including Section 3(E) — the rule adopted by the Hall Board on February 4, 1991 that has governed Hall eligibility for Pete Rose, the 1919 Black Sox, and all other Permanently Ineligible List members for the past 35 years. Phase 2 wantlist hit cleared. Verified — two genuinely independent sources (Hall of Fame and BBWAA).

Rule 3(E) text

"Any player on Baseball's ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate."

That's it. Single sentence. The rule operates as a renvoi to whoever MLB currently designates as ineligible.

Why this matters now

Manfred's May 13, 2025 posthumous reinstatement letter (in archive at ../commissioner-decisions/2025-05-13_letter_manfred-rose-posthumous-reinstatement) shortened the Permanently Ineligible List by 17 individuals — Pete Rose, the eight 1919 Black Sox (Cicotte, Felsch, Gandil, Jackson, McMullin, Risberg, Weaver, Williams), and eight additional pre-1944 ineligibles (Gedeon, Paulette, Kauff, Magee, Douglas, Dolan, O'Connell, Cox). Under Rule 3(E)'s renvoi structure, those 17 are now Hall-eligible. The rule's text remains unchanged; the underlying list changed.

The 1991 adoption

The Hall of Fame Board adopted Rule 3(E) in a 12-0 vote on February 4, 1991 at a New York hotel meeting. Four directors were absent (including Commissioner Fay Vincent, who recused). Hall President Edward W. Stack's contemporaneous statement: "The directors felt that it would be incongruous to have a person who has been declared ineligible by baseball to be eligible for baseball's highest honor."

The timing — 11 months before Rose would have first appeared on the 1992 BBWAA ballot — explains the popular "Pete Rose rule" name.

What the archive does not have

The underlying 1991 board resolution document itself is not publicly accessible. The Hall of Fame's BBWAA Voting Rules History page is the institutional record; contemporaneous independent press coverage is the public source for the vote count and Stack's adoption statement.

The Era Committee pathway

With Rule 3(E) no longer barring the 17 reinstated individuals, all 17 are Hall-eligible. Because all 17 are long retired (most recent active player among them: Rose, retired 1986), the Era Committee process governs rather than the BBWAA ballot process. The Classic Baseball Era Committee is the most likely pathway. The Era Committee Election Rules are a separate document not included in this entry.

Cross-source note

Section 3(A) (the ballot-eligibility-window rule) shows a discrepancy between the two sources: baseballhall.org says "fifteen (15) years" while bbwaa.com says "twenty (20) years." Section 3(E) — the focus here — is identical across both sources.

Related documents in the archive

• ../commissioner-decisions/1989-08-23_agreement_rose-giamatti-permanent-ineligibility.md — the underlying 1989 Pete Rose discipline that triggered Rule 3(E)'s adoption.
• ../commissioner-decisions/2025-05-13_letter_manfred-rose-posthumous-reinstatement.md — Manfred's 2025 policy decision that operationally amended Rule 3(E)'s application without changing its text.
• ../reports-and-investigations/1989-05-09_report_dowd-rose-investigation.md — the underlying Dowd Report.

Related documents

Amended by

Manfred Rose posthumous reinstatement letter (May 13, 2025)

Related documents

Rose-Giamatti Agreement (Aug 23, 1989), Dowd Report

Source provenance

• Primary source
• Wayback Machine archive
• Baseball Writers' Association of America (official site)