The baseball world has lost a legend. A controversial one, but a legend nonetheless.

The “Hit King,” Pete Rose, died on Sept. 30 in Las Vegas at 83 — just a few months after we lost the great Willie Mays. These two were giants of the game, though they’ll be remembered very differently. Rose’s death reignites the age-old debate: Should he be in the Hall of Fame?

When you look solely at his body of work on the field, there’s no question. “Charlie Hustle” played in the big leagues from 1963 to 1986 for his hometown Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos. He collected a record 4,256 hits to go along with a .303 career batting average. The switch hitter, and catalyst of the famed “Big Red Machine,” was a three-time World Series champion and the only player in league history to play 500 or more games at five different positions.

The 17-time All-Star won three batting titles, MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, and two Gold Gloves. Rose was also selected as a member of MLB’s All-Century Team for the 1900s.

Now that’s an extraordinary résumé.

It was his time, however, as manager of the Reds from 1984 to 1989 that ultimately marred his impressive accolades. Rose bet on his team, then denied it for more than 15 years, which landed him on baseball’s permanently ineligible list — and out of the Hall of Fame.

I polled some diocesan priests and sports personalities about whether Rose should be in Cooperstown. The first few calls resulted in nothing surprising.

“I’d say no because we need high standards for our athletes, even though he was among the greatest players to put on a uniform,” said Retired Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto. “I respect what he’s done on the field, but the gambling incident has to be looked at too.”

“I’m going to say no,” said former New York Mets team chaplain Father Danny Murphy. “Even though he was the best hitter ever and had the most hits, anyone who bets — especially if you bet on your own team — I can’t do it. I would have to say no to that.”

“My answer is no,” said Father Ed Kachurka, pastor of St. Gregory the Great, Bellerose. “He violated the rules and the integrity of the game. History’s been written, and it’s done.”

“No, I think he broke a major rule, and that’s enough to keep him out,” said Father Pat West, pastor of St. Sebastian, Woodside. “I’m all about forgiveness, but I don’t know if Pete Rose has ever shown any remorse.”

It will be interesting to see what happens now that Rose is gone. The whole point of the Hall of Fame is for former players and coaches to enjoy the honor while they’re still living. However, that wasn’t the case with Gil Hodges, who died in 1972 and was enshrined in 2022. His family patiently waited for the call.

Gil’s son, Gil Hodges Jr., said just because Rose has now died doesn’t automatically mean the Hall should reconsider his eligibility.

“It’s a great question but a tough call,” Hodges Jr. said. “Whatever took place and for whatever reasons they made that decision, I don’t know if they should be transcended because someone passes away.”

While Hodges Jr. took the more neutral approach, there was a camp that I called that is very much in favor of Rose’s enshrinement.

“I think he belongs in the Hall of Fame,” said Ed Wilkinson, editor emeritus and former sportswriter for *The Tablet*. “The guy’s got the numbers — the most hits of anyone ever in Major League Baseball. How could you not put this guy in the Hall of Fame? What he did was not right, but I just think his accomplishments were so great that he should go in.”

Wilkinson also thinks superstar slugger Barry Bonds should be in the Hall, even if it means putting an asterisk on his plaques due to his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.

For someone like Wilkinson, whose career in journalism is based on facts, the facts state that Rose has the most hits of all time and Bonds has the most home runs of all time.

“I’ve always been in favor of putting him in,” said CHSAA President Ray Nash. “To me, it’s atrocious that there’s a Hall of Fame without Pete Rose being in it. My feeling has always been that the guy who holds a record that may never be broken in the history of baseball and he’s not in the Hall of Fame is absurd.”

“Baseball-wise, there’s no doubt he (Rose) should be in the Hall of Fame,” said Brother Robert Kent, O.S.F., alumni director and varsity baseball coach at St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows. “He’s one of the greatest players I ever saw. If he didn’t bet on his own team to lose, he should be in the Hall of Fame. Though he broke the code of honor, he paid his price.”

Father Bill Sweeney, pastor of St. Francis de Sales, Belle Harbor, brought up an interesting point. “With all the hypocrisy of Major League Baseball and all the betting that is going on right now, I can’t believe that they haven’t let him (Rose) in,” he said. “It seems every commercial during a baseball game is about gambling. You can even bet in between innings now.”

Even if the lifetime ban is reversed, Rose is no longer with us. While some say it’s a shame he never enjoyed his rightful honor, others would say that his own actions were the reason he was banned, and he got what he deserved.

No matter where you stand, there’s no denying the facts: Rose had the most hits ever, and his Hall of Fame case may be the most complex.