Pete Rose
| Pete Rose | ||
|---|---|---|
| OF / 3B / 2B / 1B | ||
| Born: April 14 1941 (age 83) Cincinnati, Ohio |
||
| Batted: Switch | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 8, 1963 for the Cincinnati Reds | ||
| Final game | ||
| August 14, 1986 for the Cincinnati Reds | ||
| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | .303 | |
| Hits | 4,256 | |
| Home runs | 160 | |
| Teams | ||
As Player
As Manager
| ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
MLB Records
| ||
Peter Edward Rose, Sr. (born April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a former player and manager in Major League Baseball. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, best known for his many years with the Cincinnati Reds. Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and outs (10,328). He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B, and 1B).
Rose's nickname, "Charlie Hustle," was given to him for his unique playing style. Even when being walked, Rose would sprint to first base, instead of the traditional trot to the base. Rose was known for sliding headfirst into a base, his signature move. This method is now used almost exclusively by stealing base runners today.
In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amid accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds; some accusations claimed that he bet on, and even against, the Reds. After years of public denial, in 2004, he admitted to betting on, but not against, the Reds (there has never been any evidence that he ever bet against the Reds). After Rose's ban was instated, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction.
Background
Rose grew up in the working-class area of Western Hills in Cincinnati as one of four children to Harry and LaVerne Rose, and was encouraged as a young boy to participate in sports. His father, who played semi-professional football, was the biggest influence on Rose and his sports career. He played both baseball and football at Western Hills High School, where he was barred from the team because of his poor performance in class, Rose got onto a Dayton amateur club instead and batted .500 against grown men. His uncle Buddy Bloebaum was a bird-dog scout for the Reds and pleaded the case for his nephew. The Reds decided to take Bloebaum up on his offer and signed Rose to a $7,000 contract when he graduated in 1960. There was $500 more for Rose if he made it all the way to the Major Leagues and managed to stay there for a full year.
Military service
Rose entered the Ohio Army National Guard after the 1963 baseball season. He was assigned to Fort Knox for six months of active duty, which was followed by three years of regular attendance with a Reserve Unit at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. He graduated from basic training January 18, 1964, one week before his marriage to Karolyn. Rose then remained at Fort Knox to assist the sergeant in training the next platoon and to help another sergeant train the Fort's baseball team. Later in his Fort Thomas service, Rose served as company cook.
Family
Pete Rose married Karolyn Englehardt in 1964 and the couple had two children, daughter Fawn (born in 1965) and son Pete Rose Jr. (born in 1969), who spent 16 years as a minor-league baseball player, advancing to the majors once for an 11-game stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997. The couple divorced in 1980. Rose married his second wife, Carol J. Woliung, in 1984. They have two children, son Tyler (born in 1985) and daughter Kara (born in 1989).
Professional career
Minor leagues
Rose was signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent on July 8, 1960, and was assigned to the Geneva Redlegs of the New York-Penn League. In 1961, Rose was promoted to the Class D Tampa Tarpons of the Florida State League, where he batted .331 and set a league record for triples, but also led the league in errors.
Rose's next move was Macon, Georgia, where he hit .330, leading the league in triples and runs scored. During a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox in 1963, the Reds' regular second baseman, Don Blasingame, pulled a groin muscle; Rose got his chance and made the most of it. During another spring-training game against the New York Yankees, Whitey Ford gave him the derisive nickname "Charlie Hustle" after Rose sprinted to first base after drawing a walk. Despite (or perhaps because of) the manner in which Ford intended it, Rose adopted that nickname as a badge of honor. In Ken Burns' documentary Baseball, Mickey Mantle claimed that Ford gave Rose the nickname after Rose, playing in left field, made an effort to climb the fence to try to catch a Mantle home run that everyone could see was headed over everything.
Major Leagues
Early years
Rose made his Major League debut on April 8, 1963 (Opening Day) against the Pittsburgh Pirates and drew a walk. On April 13, Rose – who was 0-for-11 at the time – got his first Major League hit, a triple off Pittsburgh's Bob Friend. He hit .273 for the year and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, collecting 17 of 20 votes.
On April 23, 1964, in the top of the ninth inning of a scoreless game in Colt Stadium, Rose reached first base on an error and scored on another error to make Houston Colt .45s rookie Ken Johnson the first pitcher to lose a complete game no-hitter. However, he slumped late in the season, was benched, and finished with just a .269 average.
Rose came back in 1965 to lead the league in hits (209) and at-bats (670), and hit .312, the first of his 10 seasons with 200-plus hits and the first of nine consecutive .300 seasons. He hit a career-high 16 home runs in 1966, then switched positions from second base to right field the following year. In 1968, Rose started the season with a 22-game hit streak, missed three weeks (including the All-Star Game) with a broken thumb, then had a 19-game hit streak late in the season. He had to finish the season 6-for-9 to beat out Matty Alou and win the first of two close NL batting-title races with a .335 average.
1969: best season
Rose won consecutive batting titles in 1968-69, with 1969 being perhaps the best season of his career. He lead the league in batting for the second straight season (.348) and also paced the league in runs with 120. As the Reds' leadoff man he was the team's catalyst, rapping 218 hits and walking 88 times. He hit 33 doubles, 11 triples, and a career-best 16 homers. He drove in 82 runs, slugged .512 (by far the highest mark of his long career), and had a .432 OBP (also a career best). But the Reds finished four games out of first, and Rose lost the MVP award to Willie McCovey. Rose and Roberto Clemente were tied for the batting title going into the final game; Rose bunted for a base hit in his last at-bat of the season to beat out Clemente.
1970 All-Star game
On July 14, 1970, in brand-new Riverfront Stadium (opened just two weeks earlier), Rose was involved in one of the most famous plays in All-Star Game history. Leading off against California's Clyde Wright in the twelfth inning, Rose hit a single and advanced to second on another single by the Dodgers' Billy Grabarkewitz. The Cubs’ Jim Hickman then singled sharply to center. Amos Otis' throw went past Indians catcher Ray Fosse, but Rose still barreled over Fosse to score the winning run. It has been written that Fosse suffered a separated shoulder in the collision, but it went undiagnosed initially. Fosse continued to hit for average (he finished the season at .307), but with diminished power—he had 16 homers before the break, but only two after. He played through the 1979 season, but never approached his first-year numbers. The collision also caused Rose to miss three games with a bruised knee.
1972 World Series
Opening the game with a home run and driving in the winning run in the ninth inning with a single, Rose helped the Reds win Game Five of the 1972 World Series over the Oakland As. However, the Reds lost the series, as they had in 1970.
1973 NLCS
In 1973, Rose won his third and final batting title with a .338 average, collected a career-high 230 hits and was named the NL MVP. The Reds ended up losing the National League Championship Series to the Mets despite Rose’s eighth-inning home run to tie Game One and his twelfth-inning home run to win Game Four.
The Big Red Machine
On a team with many great players that is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest teams ever, Rose was viewed as one of the club's leaders (along with future Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tony Pérez). The influence that Rose's hustling team attitude had on his teammates was very likely a factor in the success of what was called "The Big Red Machine." His 1975 performance was considered outstanding enough that he earned the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. Rose was named the 1975 World Series Most Valuable Player for batting .370 and leading the Reds to a memorable victory over Boston in the seven-game series, considered by many to be the greatest of the modern era.
The 1976 Reds swept the Phillies 3-0 in the National League Championship Series and then swept the Yankees 4-0 in the World Series, but Rose batted only .188. The 1976 Cincinnati Reds remain the only team since the expansion of the playoffs in 1969 to go undefeated in the postseason.
44-game hitting streak
On May 5, 1978, Rose became the thirteenth player in Major League history to collect his 3,000th career hit, with a single off Expos pitcher Steve Rogers. On June 14 in Cincinnati, Rose singled in the first inning off Cubs pitcher Dave Roberts; Rose would proceed to get a hit in every game he played until August 1, making a run at Joe DiMaggio’s record 56-game hitting streak, which had stood virtually unchallenged for 37 years. The streak started quietly, but by the time it had reached 30 games, the media took notice and a pool of reporters accompanied Rose and the Reds to every game. On July 19 against the Phillies, Rose was hitless going into the ninth with his team trailing. He ended up walking and the streak appeared over. But the Reds managed to bat through their entire lineup, giving Rose another chance. Facing Ron Reed, Rose laid down a perfect bunt single to extend the streak to 32 games.
He would eventually tie Willie Keeler's single season National League record at 44 games; but on August 1, the streak came to an end as Gene Garber of the Braves struck out Rose in the ninth inning. The competitive Rose was sour after the game, blasting Garber and the Braves for treating the situation "like it was the ninth inning of the seventh game of the World Series" and adding that "Phil Niekro would have given me a fastball to hit."[1]
Rose goes to the Phillies
In 1979, Rose became a free agent and signed a four-year, $3.2-million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, temporarily making him the highest-paid athlete in team sports. The Phillies were in the middle of the greatest era in the history of the franchise when Rose came on board. They had won the National League East three years running (1976-1978) two of which were won with 101-win seasons. Although they missed the postseason in his first year with the team, they earned three division titles (one in the first half of the strike shortened 1981 season), two World Series appearances, and one World-Series title (1980) in the following four years (Ironically, Pete had the worst season of his career in 1983 when the Phillies played in their second World Series in four years), hitting only .245 with 121 hits. Rose found himself benched during the latter part of the 1983 season, appearing periodically to play and pinch hit. Rose did blossom as a pinch-hitter, with eight hits in 21 at bats for a .381 average.
Rose bounced back in a big way during the Postseason, batting .375 (6-for-16) during the N.L. Playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and .312 in the World Series for the Phillies (5-for-16). Rose collected only one hit in his first eight at-bats in the first two games in Baltimore against the 1983 A.L. Champions. Pete found himself benched for game three back in Philadelphia, and would ground out in a pinch-hitting appearance. Worse yet, Rose showed some unsportsmanlike attitude toward his own manager, Paul Owens, but complaining about his benching. Yet, the next day, he started hitting the baseball again in Charlie-Hustle style, collecting four hits in his last seven at-bats. Still, the Phillies lost decisively to the Orioles in the 1983 World Series, four games to one.
Expos
After the conclusion of the 1983 World Series, Rose was released by the Phillies. Phils management wanted to retain Rose, but he refused to accept a more-limited playing role. He was granted an Unconditional Release from the Phillies in late-October 1983. Months later, he signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Expos in 1984. On April 13, batting right-handed, Rose doubled off of the Phillies’ Jerry Koosman for his 4,000th career hit, joining Ty Cobb to become only the second player to enter the 4000-hit club. The hit came 21 years to the day after Rose's first career hit.
Back to the Reds
Rose was traded to the Reds for infielder Tom Lawless on August 15 and was immediately named player-manager, replacing Reds' manager Vern Rapp. Major League Baseball has not had another player-manager since Rose.
On September 11, 1985, Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, a single to left-center field off San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show. According to its Web site, MLB.com, Major League Baseball continues to recognize Cobb's final hit total as 4,191, though independent research has revealed that two of Cobb's hits were counted twice.[1] [2] Because of this, it has been suggested that Rose actually broke Cobb's record against the Cubs' Reggie Patterson with a single in the first inning of a Reds' 5-5 called game against Chicago on September 8. Because Rose broke Cobb's record, ABC's Wide World of Sports named Rose as its Athlete of the Year that year. Rose accumulated a total of 4,256 hits before his final career at-bat, a strikeout against San Diego’s Goose Gossage on August 17, 1986.
Retirement from playing
On November 11, Rose was dropped from the Reds’ 40-man roster to make room for pitcher Pat Pacillo, and he unofficially retired as a player. "Charlie Hustle" finished with an incredible number of Major League and National League records that will last for many years. Rose, always proud of his ability to hit .300 or better in 15 of his 24 playing seasons, has a lifetime .303 Batting Average.
Post-playing career
Manager
Rose managed the Reds from August 15, 1984, to August 24, 1989, with a 426-388 record. During his four full seasons at the helm (1985–1988), the Reds posted four second-place finishes in the NL West division. His 426 managerial wins rank fifth in Reds history.
On April 30, 1988 during a home game against the New York Mets, Rose shoved umpire Dave Pallone while arguing a disputed call at first base in the ninth inning. Rose claimed that Pallone had scratched him in the face during the argument, which provoked the push. Regardless, National League president A. Bartlett Giamatti suspended Rose for 30 days, which was the longest suspension ever levied for an on-field incident involving a manager. The shove caused a near-riot at Riverfront Stadium, and fans showered the field with debris. Ironically, the length of the suspension allowed Rose to undergo and fully recuperate from badly needed knee surgery.
Permanent Ineligibility
Amid reports that he had bet on baseball, Rose was questioned in February 1989 by outgoing commissioner Peter Ueberroth and his replacement, Bart Giamatti. Rose denied the allegations and Ueberroth dropped the investigation. However, after Giamatti became Commissioner, three days later, lawyer John Dowd was retained to investigate these charges against Rose. A Sports Illustrated cover story published on March 21, 1989 gave the public their first detailed report of the allegations that Rose had placed bets on baseball games.
Dowd interviewed many of Rose's associates, including alleged bookies and bet runners. He delivered a summary of his findings to the Commissioner in May, a document which became known as the Dowd Report. In it, Dowd documented Rose's alleged gambling activities in 1985 and 1986 and compiled a day-by-day account of Rose's alleged betting on baseball games in 1987. The Dowd Report documented his alleged bets on 52 Reds games in 1987, where Rose wagered a minimum of $10,000 a day. Others involved in the allegations claim that number was actually $2,000 a day. According to the Dowd Report itself, "no evidence was discovered that Rose bet 'against' the Reds."[2]
Rose continued to deny all of the accusations against him and refused to appear at a hearing with Giamatti on the matter. He filed a lawsuit alleging that the Commissioner had prejudged the case and could not provide a fair hearing. A Cincinnati judge issued a temporary restraining order to delay the hearing, but Giamatti fought to have the case moved to Federal Court. The Commissioner prevailed in that effort, after which he and Rose entered settlement negotiations.
On August 24, 1989, Rose voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list. Rose accepted that there was a factual reason for the ban; in return, Major League Baseball agreed to make no formal finding with regard to the gambling allegations. According to baseball's rules, Rose could apply for reinstatement in one year. Rose, with a 412-373 record, was replaced as Reds manager by Tommy Helms. Rose began therapy with a psychiatrist for treatment of a gambling addiction.
Tax evasion
On April 22, 1990, Rose pleaded guilty to two charges of filing false income-tax returns not showing income he received from selling autographs, memorabilia, and from horse-racing winnings. On July 20, Rose was sentenced to five months in the medium-security Prison Camp at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois and fined $50,000. He was released on January 7, 1991 after having paid $366,041 in back taxes and interest.
Hall of Fame Eligibility
On February 4, 1991, the Hall of Fame voted to formally exclude individuals on the permanently ineligible list from being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Rose is the only living member of the ineligible list. The Hall changed this later in the decade, and players on the ineligible list can be considered by the Veterans Committee in the first year after they would have lost their place on the Baseball Writers Association of America's ballot. Under the Hall's rules, players may appear on the ballot for only 15 years, beginning five years after they retire. Had he not been banned from baseball, Rose's name could have been on the writers' ballot beginning in 1992 and ending in 2006. He would have been eligible for consideration by the Veterans Committee in 2007, but did not appear on the ballot.
Reinstatement Efforts
In September 1997, Rose applied for reinstatement. Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, never acted on that application. In public comments, Selig said he saw no reason to reconsider Rose's punishment. In March 2003, Selig acknowledged that he was considering Rose's application, leading to speculation that Rose's return might be imminent. Ultimately, however, Selig took no action. Even supporters of Rose's reinstatement concede that it is not likely that reinstatement will occur under Selig's tenure as commissioner. He had previously applied for reinstatement in 1992, but then-commissioner Fay Vincent never acted on it.
Legacy
"Charlie Hustle" for his work ethic and boundless enthusiasm. During his 24-year career he had many high points, including a career batting average of .303, a record-setting 4,256 hits, a 44 game hitting streak (1978) and three appearances in the World Series (twice with Cincinnati, 1975 and 1976, and once with the Philadelphia Phillies, 1980). Rose was all but guaranteed a spot in the Hall of Fame until 1989, when he was accused of betting on baseball.
Even though his accomplishments on the playing field remain legendary, Pete Rose will forever be known for his ethical lapses related to the game he played with such passion and devotion over 23 hard-fought seasons. Betting on baseball got Rose banned from baseball for life, a stunning lesson in moral behavior for fans and players alike.
Coming clean
In his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, published on January 8, 2004, Rose finally admitted publicly to betting on baseball games and other sports while playing for and managing the Reds. He also admitted to betting on Reds' games, but said that he never bet against the Reds. He repeated his admissions in an interview on the ABC news program Primetime Thursday. He also said in the book that he hoped his admissions would help end his ban from baseball so that he could reapply for reinstatement.
The criticism of Rose did not diminish after this admission, even though some Rose supporters were outraged that Rose would suddenly reverse 15 years of denials as part of a book-publicity tour. In addition, the timing was called into question—by making his admission just two days after the Baseball Hall of Fame announced its class of 2004 inductees, Rose appeared to be linking himself publicly to the Hall. Further adding to the debate was the 2004 ESPN made-for-TV movie Hustle, starring Tom Sizemore as Rose, which documents Rose's gambling problem and his subsequent ban from baseball.
Records and achievements
- Major League records:
- Most career hits - 4,256
- Most career outs - 10,328
- Most career games played - 3,562
- Most career at bats - 14,053
- Most career singles - 3,215
- Most career runs by a switch hitter - 2,165
- Most career doubles by a switch hitter - 746
- Most career walks by a switch hitter - 1,566
- Most career total bases by a switch hitter - 5,752
- Most seasons of 200 or more hits - 10
- Most consecutive seasons of 100 or more hits - 23
- Most consecutive seasons with 600 or more at bats - 13 (1968-1980)
- Most seasons with 600 at bats - 17
- Most seasons with 150 or more games played - 17
- Most seasons with 100 or more games played - 23
- Record for playing in the most winning games - 1,972
- Only player in major league history to play more than 500 games at five different positions - 1B (939), LF (671), 3B (634), 2B (628), RF (595)
- National League records:
- Most years played - 24
- Most consecutive years played - 24
- Most career runs - 2,165
- Most career doubles - 746
- Most career games with 5 or more hits - 10
- Modern (post-1900) record for longest consecutive game hitting streak - 44
- Modern record for most consecutive hitting streaks of 20 or more games - 7
- NL MVP Award (1973)
- NL Rookie of the Year Award (1963)
- 17 All-Star selections
- Three World Series rings (1975, 1976, 1980)
- World Series MVP Award (1975)
- Two Gold Glove Awards (1969 and 1970, both as an outfielder)
- Roberto Clemente Award (1976)
- The Sporting News Player of the Year (1968)
- The Sporting News Sportsman of the Year (1985)
- The Sporting News Player of the Decade (1970s)
- Other achievements:
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Gilbert, Thomas W., and Weaver, Earl. Pete Rose. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1995.
- Reston, James. Collision at Home Plate: The Lives of Pete Rose and Bart Giamatti. New York: Burlingame Books, 1991. ISBN 978-0060163792
- Rose, Pete, and Hill, Rick. My Prison Without Bars. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale, 2004. ISBN 978-1579549275
- Rose, Pete, and Golenbock, Peter. Pete Rose on Hitting: How to Hit Better than Anybody. New York: Perigee Books, 1985. ISBN 978-0399511646
- Rose, Pete. and Kahn, Roger. Pete Rose: My Story. New York: Macmillan, 1989. ISBN 978-0025606111
- Sokolove, Michael Y. Hustle: The Myth, Life, and Lies of Pete Rose. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990. ISBN 978-0671695033
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- baseball1.com - the Dowd Report on Rose's gambling
- baseball1.com agreement between Rose & MLB
- peterose.com - official website
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