If it were up to David Ortiz, there would be no debate over Pete Rose's Hall of Fame candidacy ... as he tells TMZ Sports the Reds legend should have been inducted years ago.
Big Papi made his opinion loud and clear while out at LAX on Friday -- just four days after Rose died from heart disease -- saying straight up, "I thought he should have been a Hall of Famer a long time ago."
"Mistakes are mistakes," the former Red Sox star said. "But sometimes there's exceptions to the rules, you know what I'm saying? And, he's one-of-a-kind."
Rose, of course, was well on his way to earning a plaque in Cooperstown ... after he put together a career that featured 17 All-Star appearances, 4,256 hits and a .303 batting average.
But, after the MLB determined he bet on games during his post-playing days as Reds manager, he was banned from baseball for life.
Many -- including Donald Trump -- have argued now that he's passed, he should get in posthumously ... and, clearly, Ortiz -- who got inducted into the HOF back in 2022 -- believes the same.
As for today's players, Ortiz spoke with us about Shohei Ohtani's impending playoff debut ... and if you're a Dodger fan worried about how he's going to handle the bright lights -- Ortiz says you can stop wringing those hands now!