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3 hours ago
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The Big Red Machine is one of the greatest baseball teams ever.
They're sticking by each other decades later, too.
A day after the late Pete Rose was removed from MLB's permanently ineligible list, Reds legend Tony Perez shared his thoughts on Rose's Hall of Fame case with The Athletic.
Here's what Perez said:
I always say what he did on the field is why he should be in the Hall of Fame. But this is great news. I'm happy that they are giving him the opportunity. They can vote for him and see if he can get in the Hall of Fame, because he should be in there.
He paid the price for a long, long, long time and I know he was hurt. He maybe didn't look like it, but I know he was hurt. Because he loved the game so much and he wanted to be with the fans and he wanted to be at the ballpark. But he made a mistake and he paid for that.
He can always play with me. When I meet him again, I would love to play with him.
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Perez was Rose's teammate with the Reds from 1964-1976, then teammates with him again with the Phillies from 1983-1986.
Rose was banned from baseball for betting on his own team when he managed the Reds.
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Just before Rose was eligible for Hall of Fame voting, the Hall ruled that players on the ineligible list weren't able to be elected.
Now, Rose can go up for a veterans committee vote in a few years. Perez thinks Rose deserves the requisite votes to get in.
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