Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s controversial all-time leader with 4,256 hits, passed away at age 83 this morning. No cause of death was given. The news was confirmed by his agent, Ryan Fiterman.
The Reds are heartbroken to learn of the passing of baseball legend Pete Rose. pic.twitter.com/zOlU9NreWR
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 30, 2024
Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s All-Time Hit King, Has Passed Away
The back of Rose’s baseball card is dominated by bold-faced print indicating when he led the National League in various offensive categories. For his 24-year career that stretched from 1963-86, he hit .303/.375/.409, 160 HR, 1,314 RBI, and scored 2,165 runs. He won three batting titles and led the majors in hits seven times, including an astounding 230 hits in 1973, when he was the NL Most Valuable Player, and a mind-boggling 140 hits in the 1981 strike-shortened season. All told, he exceeded 200 hits in five different seasons. Rose was the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year and a 17-time All-Star.
The switch-hitter played for the Cincinnati Reds (1963-78, 1984-86), Philadelphia Phillies (1979-83), and Montreal Expos (1984). Rose began his career as a second baseman and played primarily at the corner outfield and infield spots. He played for three World Series winners, the Reds in 1975 and 1976, and the Phillies in 1980. He came through when it counted. In 67 postseason games, he slashed .321/.388/.440.
Charlie Hustle
Beyond the numbers, he’ll be known for his hustling, hard-nosed style of play, and a gambling scandal that has kept him out of the Hall of Fame. The former was most on display at the 1970 All-Star Game played at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. With the score tied, 4-4, in the bottom of the 12th inning, Rose scored from second base on Jim Hickman’s single to center field off pitcher Clyde Wright, lowering his shoulder and bowling over catcher Ray Fosse with a jarring blow in the process. Fosse separated his shoulder. After the game, an angry Wright asked, “Why the hell did he have to do what he did?” Rose defended himself, saying, “Don’t tell me it’s an exhibition or spring training. Don’t tell me to take it easy between the white lines.”
Hit No. 4,192
Rose broke MLB’s all-time hit record on September 11, 1985, and passed Ty Cobb with his 4,192nd hit. He had returned to the Reds in the middle of the 1984 season when he was named the Reds’ player/manager. By then, he was past his prime. From 1983-86, he hit just .257. As a singles-hitting first baseman without a high batting average, frankly, only Pete Rose the manager would have been sending Pete Rose the player out there every day. Teammates criticized him for putting himself in the lineup so often. In any event, the numbers don’t lie and it’s not a record that deserves an asterisk.
Although Rose was through as a player in 1986, he continued to manage the Reds through 1989. As a manager, Rose’s teams were 412-373. In 1989, in a development as jarring as his hit on Fosse, he was placed on baseball’s ineligible list when it was discovered that he was betting on baseball games. Thus, he was barred from the Hall of Fame, putting MLB in the strange position of having its all-time leaders in hits and home runs, Rose and Barry Bonds, out of the Hall. Rose denied the charges for years before coming clean in 2004 and admitting that he bet on baseball.
The Last Word
Surprisingly in hindsight, Rose was unpopular with teammates when he joined the Reds as a second baseman in 1963. He was not strong defensively, committing 22 errors and being “worth” -9 Defensive Runs Saved. The Reds pitchers preferred his predecessor, Don Blasingame. Of course, Rose would eventually win them over with his bat and scrappy style of play.
The Hall of Fame continues to display several of Rose’s artifacts despite Rose himself being denied induction. He remained a controversial and polarizing figure while being popular on the autograph circuit. He’s the subject of a recent documentary on HBO.
Photo Credit: © Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK
