Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hits king, and one of sports’ most polarizing figures, has died aged 83. According to the Clark County coroner in Nevada, Rose was found dead at his home – there was no foul play, and the cause of death is pending further investigation. Rose, a scrappy player who earned the nickname ‘Charlie Hustle’, was baseball’s all time-hit leader until he was banned for life in 1989 for betting on his own team.
Rose left both a legacy of inspiration and contention for baseball fans. During his 24-year career, including 19 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, he amassed 4,256 hits, a record that still stands. He owns the MLB records for games played (3,562), plate appearances (15,890) and at bats (14,053). A workman-like star, Rose was a 17-time All-Star, won three World Series (two with the Reds’ ‘Big Red Machine’ in 1975 and 1976, and one with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980), and won the 1973 National League MVP and the 1963 Rookie of the Year awards
But his career is perhaps just as remembered for its spectacular fall. Rose was banned from baseball for life in 1989 after an investigation revealed that he had wagered on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds. Conducted by then-MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti and his lead investigator John Dowd, the investigation determined that Rose had bet on at least 52 Reds games during the 1987 season, his first as a full-time manager. The so-called ‘Dowd Report’ became the grounds for Rose’s lifetime ban from Major League Baseball, which otherwise would have been an unparalleled career.
Despite the incident, the vast majority of fans and baseball ‘insiders’ still consider Rose worthy of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His exclusion from the Hall may be the most controversial issue in all of baseball. And the supporters’ argument is straightforward: regardless of his off-field indiscretions, Rose’s on-field record – his sheer number of records and accomplishments – merit his high status.
An Unmatched Career
Rose’s statistics on the field are undeniable. On it, his hustle, grit and intensity made him one of the most popular players of his time. He made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1963, and his aggressive style and versatility (he played five different positions over the course of his career) made him an essential ingredient to the Reds’ line-up. He would later lead the vaunted ‘Big Red Machine’ to back-to-back World Series championships in 1975 and 1976 and establish the Reds as the most dominant team of the 1970s.
Following his departure from the Reds, Rose played two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies before returning to Cincinnati as a player-manager in 1984. He became a full-time manager for the Reds in 1987, the year that his career – and life – took a dramatic turn for the worse.
The Lifetime Ban and Hall of Fame Debate
That lifetime ban, applied to Rose in 1989, is still a pall over his career. The ‘Dowd Report’ revealed that Rose had bet large sums on baseball games, including the Reds, of which he was the manager. For years, Rose denied it, and then, in a 2004 autobiography, he admitted that he had bet on baseball. That ban keeps Rose out of the Baseball Hall of Fame, a decision that continues to split fans and analysts.
While Rose was a rule-breaker, many think that his achievements on the field should not be forgotten. He spent 24 years playing baseball, winning numerous awards and setting countless records that still stand today. His supporters feel that the Hall of Fame is about recognizing baseball’s greatest players. It is their contention that, when it comes to what takes place on the field, no one came close to what Rose accomplished. Even after his fall from grace, Rose’s impact on the game cannot be denied.
Rose’s Lasting Impact on Baseball
Well, aside from the scandal, Rose had a major impact on baseball. Pete rose brought something to the game that no other player ever had or has since. He brought an ability to dunk his head into bases, an ability to stretch a single into a double, an ability to hustle every pitch until it is bedeviled and worn out. Oh, and did I mention that he never took a play off? His speed on the base paths is unrivaled, his grit unmatched, and his determination never to lose is never to wane. The boyish smile he always wore after a play, the ‘here we go again’ spirit, encouraged us all to play hard and never give up. He is not only a baseball immortal with the record that will likely never be broken, but he is immortal for the way in which he played the game. His record counts but, really, his greatest contribution to baseball was that he made us all believe that we could do more and be better.
Yet even after being banned from baseball, for years Rose remained active in the game, traveling up and down the east coast for autograph signings, charity events and interviews in which he’d wax poetic about the game he loved, and fighting for reinstatement in baseball – never regaining entry to the leagues or Hall of Fame – yet never forgoing the adulation of his fans.
The death of Pete Rose closes the book on a complex and controversial life that spanned a record 4,256 regular season games as a player, three World Series rings and an immortal place in the hearts of fans. As a baseball player, Rose was the greatest of all time, as evidenced by stats that remain unmatched after his retirement. But his legacy remains controversial, thanks to a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball. For many, Rose will always be ‘Charlie Hustle’, the player who tore up the rules of his sport and redefined what it meant to play with your heart on your sleeve. For better or worse, he was a force of nature and, whether he is eventually recognized in the Hall of Fame or not, his contribution to the majors will be written in baseball’s fading history.
For more about Rose’s career and further developments in the Hall of Fame debate, visit ESPN and MLB.com.
