In a decision that is already sparking passionate debate across the baseball world, Major League Baseball announced today that it has officially lifted the permanent ban on former New York Yankees pitcher Steve Howe, who passed away in 2006. The move makes Howe — long considered one of the most talented yet troubled figures in the game’s modern era — eligible for future consideration for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Howe’s career was both brilliant and marred by repeated suspensions due to substance abuse issues. The left-handed reliever debuted in 1980 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and won the National League Rookie of the Year. Over the course of his career, he amassed 91 saves and posted a solid 3.03 ERA, eventually becoming a crucial part of the Yankees’ bullpen during the early 1990s.

However, Howe’s legacy was overshadowed by a record seven suspensions related to drug violations — a number that made him both a cautionary tale and a symbol of MLB’s struggle with addiction in the 1980s and 1990s. He was ultimately handed a permanent ban in 1992, only to be reinstated the following year. His case remained a gray area in MLB disciplinary history, with some assuming his status was unofficially still ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration.

Today’s official lifting of the ban removes all doubt.

In a statement released by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, the league acknowledged Howe’s “complicated legacy” while emphasizing the importance of second chances and historical context. “Steve Howe was a gifted athlete whose struggles reflected a broader societal issue that baseball, like many institutions, was unprepared to fully address at the time. His contributions on the field — and the human story off of it — deserve a fair reexamination.”

The Hall of Fame has yet to indicate whether or when Howe might be considered by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, but today’s announcement reopens a chapter many thought was closed forever.

Fans of the Yankees and those who followed Howe’s dramatic and turbulent career are now reflecting on the impact he had — not just as a pitcher, but as a symbol of resilience, redemption, and the complex humanity behind every baseball story.