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Peter Edward "Pete" Rose, Sr. , nicknamed
Charlie Hustle, is an
American former player and manager in
Major League Baseball. Pete 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 , games played , and at bats . 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 unequalled five different positions .
In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball amidst 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. After Rose's ban was instated, the
Baseball Hall of Fame had specifically stated that individuals who are banned from the sport are ineligible for induction; previously, those who were banned had been excluded by informal agreement among voters. The issue of his possible re-instatement and election to the Hall of Fame remains a contentious one throughout baseball.
Pre-professional career
Rose grew up in a working-class area of nearby Anderson Ferry, Ohio 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 Pete and his sports career. He played both
baseball and
football at Western Hills High School. Rose paid so little attention to his studies in ninth grade that his teacher decreed he would have to attend summer school or be held back. His father kept Rose out of summer school: it was better for his son to repeat a year of school, Harry Rose said, than miss a season playing ball. Barred from his high school team because of his poor performance in class, he got onto a
Dayton amateur club instead and
batted .500 against grown men. By the time Rose had graduated in 1960, he had impressed the Reds enough for them to offer him a
$7,000 contract, with $500 more if he made it all the way to the major leagues and managed to stay there for a full year.
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, set a league record for triples, but led the league in
fielding errors.
Rose's next move was to the Class A
Macon, Georgia team, 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 witnessing Rose sprint to first base after drawing a walk. Despite 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 him 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 debut on opening day, April 8, 1963, 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. Rose 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 and at-bats , and hit .312, the first of his 10 seasons with 200-plus hits and the first of 15 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 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.
Rose had his best offensive season in 1969, leading the league in batting for the second straight season and leading the league in runs with 120. As the team's leadoff man he was a 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 , and had a .432 OBP . But the Reds finished four games out of first, and Rose lost the MVP 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 , Rose was involved in one of the most infamous plays in All-Star history. In the 12th inning, Rose led off with a single and went to second on a single by the
Dodgers' Bill Grabowski. The
Cubs’ Jim Hickman then singled sharply to center.
Amos Otis' throw beat Rose to the plate, but Rose barreled over
Indians catcher Ray Fosse, separating the catcher's shoulder, to score the winning run. Fosse never fully recovered from the injury and he has remained critical of Rose's aggressive maneuver to this day.
1973 National League Championship Series
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 12th-inning home run to win Game Four. During Game Three of the series, Rose got into a fight with the popular Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson while trying to break up a double play; the fight resulted in a bench-clearing brawl. The game was nearly called off when, after the Reds took the field, fans threw objects from the stands at Rose, causing the Reds team to leave the field until order was restored.
44-game hitting streak
On May 5, 1978, Rose became the 13th and youngest 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 National League record at 44 games; but the next day the streak came to end as Gene Garber of the
Braves struck Rose out in the ninth inning. The competitive Rose was sour after the game, blasting Garber and the Braves for not challenging him with fastballs.
Rose goes to the Phillies
On a team with many great players that is widely acknowledged by many as one of the greatest teams ever, Rose was viewed as one of the club's leaders . 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. The following year, Rose was a major force in helping the Reds repeat as World Series winners. The 1976 Reds swept the Phillies 3-0 in the National League Championship Series and the Yankees 4-0 in the World Series. The 1976 Reds remain the only team since the expansion of the playoffs in 1969 to go undefeated in the postseason.
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. In the 86 years before Rose arrived and 22 years after he departed, the Phillies went to the playoffs just three times. In five years with Rose, the Phillies earned three division titles, two
World Series appearances and one World Series title .
Back to the Reds
In 1984 Rose signed a one-year contract with the
Montreal Expos. On April 13, Rose doubled off of the Phillies’ Jerry Koosman for his 4,000th career hit, joining
Ty Cobb to become only the second player to accomplish that feat. The hit came 21 years to the day, after Rose's first career hit. Rose was traded to the Reds for infielder Tom Lawless on August 15, and was immediately named player-manager, replacing Vern Rapp.
On September 11, 1985, Rose broke Cobb’s all-time hit record with his 4,192nd hit, a single to left-center field off
San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show. Rose’s final career at-bat was a
strikeout against San Diego’s Goose Gossage on August 17, 1986. On November 11, Rose was dropped from the Reds’ 40-man roster to make room for pitcher Pat Pacillo.
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 , 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, Rose shoved umpire Dave Pallone while arguing a call. 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.
Lifetime ban
By the 1980s, Rose was gambling heavily on several sports, and by most accounts lost large sums. Amid reports that Rose had bet on baseball while Reds manager, he was questioned in February 1989 by outgoing commissioner
Peter Ueberroth and his replacement, Bart Giamatti. Three days later, lawyer John Dowd was retained to investigate charges against Rose. A March 21, 1989,
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article tied him to baseball gambling.
The Dowd Report asserted that Rose bet on 52 Reds games in 1987, at a minimum of $10,000 a day. On August 24, 1989, he voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list. Rose accepted that there was a material reason for the ban; in return, Major League Baseball agreed to make no finding of fact with regard to the gambling allegations and on the provision that baseball would cease exploring Rose's activities, and that after one year Rose could reapply for reinstatement. In addition, the agreement explicitly stated that Rose was neither admitting nor denying any wrongdoing. Rose, with a 412-373 record, was replaced as Reds manager by Tommy Helms.
Tax evasion
On April 21, 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 federal prison and fined $50,000, being 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 players banned from baseball from being placed on their ballots. Under the Hall's rules, players may appear on the ballot for only fifteen years, beginning five years after they retire. Had he not been banned from baseball, Rose's name could have been on the ballot beginning in 1992 and ending in 2006. If he were to be reinstated now, he could be considered as a candidate by the Hall's Committee on Baseball Veterans, beginning in 2007.
Another effect of the ban was to keep the Reds from formally retiring Rose's #14 jersey. However, aside from his son's brief stint with the team in 1997, the Reds have not issued that number since Rose's ban. It is very unlikely that any other Red will ever wear that number again.
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 Roses' return might be imminent. Ultimately, however, Selig took no action.
In a December 2002 interview, investigator John Dowd stated that he believed
that Rose may have bet
against the Reds while managing them;. However, his official report states "no evidence was discovered that Rose bet against the Cincinnati Reds."
The Jim Gray interview
Before game two of the
1999 World Series, Rose received the loudest ovation during the introduction of the members of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. After the ceremony on live television, NBC's Jim Gray repeatedly asked Rose if he was ready to admit to betting on baseball and apologize:
Jim Gray: Pete, now let me ask you. It seems as though there is an opening, the American public is very forgiving. Are you willing to show contrition, admit that you bet on baseball and make some sort of apology to that effect?
Pete Rose: Not at all, Jim. I'm not going to admit to something that didn't happen. I know you're getting tired of hearing me say that. But I appreciate the ovation. I appreciate the American fans voting me on the All-Century Team. I'm just a small part of a big deal tonight.
JG: With the overwhelming evidence in that report, why not make that step...
PR: No. This is too much of a festive night to worry about that because I don't know what evidence you're talking about. I mean, show it to me...
JG:
Pete, those who will hear this tonight will say you have been your own worst enemy and continue to be. How do you respond to that?PR:
In what way are you talking about?JG: By not acknowledging what seems to be overwhelming evidence.
PR: Yeah, I'm surprised you're bombarding me like this. I mean I'm doing an interview with you on a great night, a great occasion, a great ovation. Everybody seems to be in a good mood. And you're bringing up something that happened 10 years ago ... This is a prosecutor's brief, not an interview, and I'm very surprised at you.
JG: Some would be surprised that you didn't take the opportunity.
Many people were outraged over Gray's aggressive questioning, feeling that it detracted from the ceremony; in protest,
New York Yankees outfielder Chad Curtis refused to speak with Gray after his game-winning home run in Game 3. Others felt that given the dichotomy of Rose's banishment from baseball and his inclusion on the All-Century Team, the questions were appropriate. Earlier that season, Rose had been ranked at number 25 on
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list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
Coming clean
In his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, published by Rodale Press 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 some Rose supporters were outraged that Rose would suddenly reverse fifteen 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.
Pete Rose and WWE
During the years 1998 to 2000 Rose performed in
World Wrestling Entertainment's
WrestleMania. Rose would be on the receiving end of a Tombstone Piledriver by
Kane. At
WrestleMania 2000, Pete Rose was "stink faced" by sumo-themed wrestler
Rikishi. In October 2002 he starred alongside Kane in a
Halloween-themed commercial for the WWE pay-per-view event
No Mercy 2002. In 2004 Rose appeared at
WrestleMania XX, where he was inducted to the
WWE Hall of Fame, becoming the first member of the "Celebrity Wing."
Military service
Rose entered the
United States Army after the end of 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. At Fort Knox, he was a platoon guide and graduated
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 helping another Sergeant train the Fort's baseball team. Rose received some special treatment during basic training, including not receiving a shaved head and palling around with the colonel. 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 and son Pete Rose Jr. . The couple divorced in 1980. Rose married his second wife, Carol J. Wollung, in 1984. They had two children, son Tyler and daughter Kara .
Two of Rose's children have lived public lives. Kara has worked as a television actress, appearing as a regular in the first season of the soap opera
Passions and playing a recurring role on
Melrose Place. She uses the stage name "Chea Courtney."
His oldest son, Pete Rose Jr., spent 16 years as a minor league baseball player, advancing to the majors just once, for an 11-game stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997. In 2005, PJ pled guilty to federal drug charges, but the sentence was not disclosed; he did not serve jail time. However, P.J. was arrested on different drug charges in March 2006; convicted, he spent June 2006 in federal prison.
Rose has two sisters and a brother.
Records and achievements
- Major League records:
- Most career hits - 4,256
- Most career games played - 3,562
- Most career at bats - 14,053
- Most career singles - 3,315
- 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 seasons with 600 or more 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 , LF , 3B , 2B , RF
- 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 record for longest consecutive game hitting streak - 44
- Modern record for most consecutive game hitting streaks of 20 or more games - 7
- NL MVP Award
- NL Rookie of the Year Award
- 18 All-Star selections
- Three World Series rings
- World Series MVP Award
- Two Gold Glove Awards
- Roberto Clemente Award
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Player of the Year - The Sporting News is an American [i]-based sports [i] weekly magazine, book publisher, ...
Sportsman of the Year - The Sporting News is an American [i]-based sports [i] weekly magazine, book publisher, ...
Player of the Decade - WWE Hall of Fame inductee
Trivia
Rose is referred to in the
Billy Joel song "Zanzibar", in the lyrics "Rose, he knows he's such a credit to the game/But the Yankees grab the headlines every time." In the live version on his recent
12 Gardens live concert album, Joel changed the lyrics to "Rose, he knows he'll never make the Hall of Fame," a reference to his fall from grace since the song's original 1980 recording.
See also
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- Major League Baseball Scandals
- Top 500 home run hitters of all time
- Featured athlete on Fox Sports Net's Beyond the Glory
External links
- - career statistics and analysis, managing record
