Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader, is now eligible for enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, but his place in Cooperstown is far from certain. On Tuesday,

Rose, a.k.a. Charlie Hustle (the nickname was an insult he happily embraced), was a competitive monster over his long career (1963–1986), mostly with the Cincinnati Reds, overcoming an unimpressive athletic toolkit through sheer force of will. "I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball" was his mantra.

Pete Rose is finally out of MLB’s doghouse, and he has some company. Rose, placed on the league’s permanently ineligible list in August 1989 over gambling on baseball, was reinstated by commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday — and was joined by “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, according to ESPN.

As news broke that Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose are now eligible for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, some people are wondering why Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball in the first place.

The all-time hit king and Jackson -- both longtime baseball pariahs stained by gambling, seen by MLB as the game's mortal sin -- are now presumably eligible for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Baseball's most famous outcasts may finally get their plaques in Cooperstown. In a stunning decision that rewrites baseball history, Commissioner Rob Manfred has officially removed Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson,

Major League Baseball has lifted the lifetime ban of Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased players. The move clears the way for a Hall of Fame vote but doesn't guarantee admission.