Former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent, who played major role in Pete Rose, George Steinbrenner bans, dead at 86

Vincent played a major role in Rose's punishment, having been the deputy commissioner to Giamatti.

He became the commissioner on Sept. 1, 1989, and presided over the league during that year's World Series between the Giants and Athletics that was halted due to the deadly earthquake in the Bay Area.

As baseball commissioner, Vincent angered owners by becoming the first management official to admit the collusion among teams against free agents following the 1985, '86 and '87 seasons. He also divided expansion fees among both leagues and attempted to force National League realignment, changing the divisions of four teams.

"Mr. Vincent served the game during a time of many challenges, and he remained proud of his association with our national pastime throughout his life," the current commissioner, Rob Manfred, said in a statement.

In one of his lasting acts as commissioner, he chaired an eight-member committee for statistical accuracy, which removed the asterisk that had been next to Roger Maris' entry as the season home run leader and deleted 50 no-hitters. The group defined a no-hitter as games of nine innings or more that ended with no hits.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.