Pete Rose passed away on Monday at the age of 83. TMZ Sports reports that the MLB hits leader died at his home in Las Vegas, with his agent, Ryan Fiterman, confirming the news and requesting privacy for the family during this time.
Rose had a 24-season career in MLB, playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos from 1963 to 1986. He also managed the Reds for six years from 1984 to 1989.
Both teams he is most closely linked to responded to the news on Monday.
Rose’s impressive playing career included three World Series championships, a World Series MVP award, a National League MVP, an NL Rookie of the Year title, three batting titles, a Silver Slugger award, and an astounding 17 All-Star selections.
He holds MLB records for the most hits (4,256), games played (3,562), and at-bats (14,053), finishing his career with a .303/.375/.409 batting line, 160 home runs, and 1,314 RBIs. Rose’s name dominates the Reds’ all-time leaderboard in various statistical categories, and he has a statue outside Great American Ball Park.
As a key figure in Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine during the 1970s, Rose’s remarkable career should have guaranteed him a spot in the Hall of Fame. However, he was banned from baseball in 1989.
This ban stemmed from an agreement between Rose and then-MLB commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, which involved Rose being banned in exchange for the league not disclosing whether he had bet on baseball. An investigation led by Special Counsel John Dowd concluded that Rose did bet on baseball games, including those of the Reds while he was their player-manager.
Since then, he has not been reinstated by any subsequent commissioners and has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“I’ve been suspended over 30 years,” Rose told Forbes in 2023. “That’s a long time for betting on your own team to win. I was wrong, but that mistake was made. Time usually heals everything, except when it comes to the Pete Rose case.”
Despite not being in the Baseball Hall of Fame, he was inducted into the Reds’ Hall of Fame in 2016, calling it “the biggest thing to ever happen to me in baseball.”
The history of Major League Baseball, especially the Reds, is incomplete without extensive references to Rose. He was an extraordinary hitter, a three-time champion, a franchise legend, and a polarizing figure who significantly shaped an entire era for both the city and the sport.
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