NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader in baseball and the fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and his dreams of entering the Hall of Fame by betting on the game he loved and once embodied, has died. He was 83 years old.
Stephanie Wheatley, spokesperson for Clark County in Nevada, confirmed on behalf of the coroner that Rose died on Monday. Wheatley said that the cause and manner of her death had not yet been determined.
For fans who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s, no player was more exciting than the Cincinnati Reds' number 14, "Charlie Hustle," the brash superstar with his bushy hair, snub nose, and muscular forearms. In the early days of artificial surfaces, divisional play, and free agency, Rose was old-school, a deliberate throwback to baseball's early days. Millions of people could never forget him crouched with a furrowed brow at the plate, sprinting full speed to first base even after drawing a walk, or running to the next base and diving headfirst.
Rose, a 17-time All-Star, batted switch-hit and played on three World Series-winning teams. He was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1973 and the World Series Most Valuable Player two years later. He holds the Major League records for most games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890), and the National League record for the longest hitting streak (44 games). He was the leadoff hitter for one of baseball's most formidable lineups with the Reds' championship teams in 1975 and 1976, with teammates that included Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, and Joe Morgan.
But no milestone came close to his 4,256 hits, breaking his hero Ty Cobb's 4,191 and signifying his excellence regardless of the notoriety that followed. It was such an extraordinary total that one could average 200 hits for 20 years and still fall short. Rose's secret was consistency and longevity. In 24 seasons, all but six entirely played with the Reds, Rose had 200 hits or more 10 times, and over 180 four other times. He batted .303 overall, even while switching from second base to outfield to third to first, and led the league in hits seven times.
"Every summer, three things are going to happen," Rose liked to say, "the grass is going to turn green, the weather is going to heat up, and Pete Rose is going to get 200 hits and bat .300."
Rose was the Rookie of the Year in 1963, but he started 0 for 12 with three walks and a hit before getting his first hit in the Major Leagues, a triple in the eighth inning against Bob Friend of Pittsburgh. He arrived in Cincinnati on April 13, 1963, the day before Rose's 22nd birthday. He reached 1,000 in 1968, 2,000 just five years later, and 3,000 just five years after that.
He moved into second place, ahead of Hank Aaron, with hit number 3,772 in 1982. The 4,000th hit came against Jerry Koosman of the Phillies in 1984, exactly 21 years after his first hit. He tied Cobb on September 8, 1985, and surpassed him three days later in Cincinnati, with Rose's mother and his teenage son, Pete Jr., among the attendees.
Rose was 44 years old and was the player-manager of the team. In the first inning, he batted as a lefty against Eric Show of the San Diego Padres and hit a slider with a 2-1 count to left field, a clean single.
The crowd of over 47,000 people stood up and cheered. The game was stopped to celebrate. Rose received the ball and first base, and then openly cried on the shoulder of first base coach and former teammate, Tommy Helms. He told Pete Jr., who would later briefly play for the Reds: “I love you and I hope you surpass me.” He thought of his late father, a star athlete who had pushed him to practice sports since childhood. And he thought of Cobb, the hitter from the dead ball era whom Rose emulated so much that he named another son Tyler.