Inside The Reds

Tony Perez Endorses Pete Rose for Hall of Fame After Hit King Was Reinstated by Baseball

Rose passed away in September.

James Rapien

MLB all-time hit leader Pete Rose bumps first with former team mate Tony Perez during a ceremony before the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, June 25, 2016.
MLB all-time hit leader Pete Rose bumps first with former team mate Tony Perez during a ceremony before the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, June 25, 2016. / Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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CINCINNATI — Reds legend and Hall of Famer Tony Perez wants to see Pete Rose get into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Perez talked with Jon Heyman of the New York Post after Rose was reinstated by baseball earlier this week.

“Pete was always trying to win and doing what he’d have to do to win—that’s a Hall of Famer,” Perez said. 

Rose and Perez were teammates from 1964-76 and then again from 1984-86. They were two of the best players on the Big Red Machine, which is arguably the best baseball team of all-time. The Reds won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.

“I know he made mistakes. But in baseball, he did what he had to do,” Perez said. 

Rose won't get a chance to get into the Hall of Fame until 2027. He passed away in September at the age of 83.

"On behalf of the Reds and our generations of loyal fans, we are thankful for the decision of Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball regarding the removal of Pete from the permanently ineligible list," Reds owner Bob Castellini said earlier this month. "Pete is one of the greatest players in baseball history and Reds Country will continue to celebrate him as we always have.

"We are especially happy for the Rose family to receive this new and what this decision could mean for them and all of Pete's fans."

Check out Heyman's entire conversation with Perez here.

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James Rapien
JAMES RAPIEN

James Rapien is the publisher of Bengals, Reds and Bearcats On SI. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati and has spent a decade covering Cincinnati sports. He's the author of Enter The Jungle, a book about the history of the Cincinnati Bengals. Prior to joining SI, Rapien was a host and producer at 700 WLW and ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati.

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