Peter Edward Rose, Sr. (born April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio), nicknamed
Charlie Hustle, is an American former player and manager in Major
League Baseball who 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 (4256), games played (3562)
and at bats (14,053). 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 18 All-Star appearances at an unequalled
four different positions (2B, OF, 3B, 1B).
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;
this included betting on the Reds but not against them. After years
of public denial, in 2004 he admitted the accusations were true. After
the initial ban the Baseball Hall of Fame had specified that individuals
who are banned from the sport are ineligible for induction; those who
were banned had previously been excluded by informal agreement among
voters. The issue of his possible reinstatement and election to the
Hall 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 semiprofessional
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 vetoed that idea: 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 was 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
and 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 nicknamed him "Charlie Hustle" after witnessing Rose run down to first base after drawing a walk.
Major Leagues
Early years
Rose made his debut on opening day, April 8, 1963 against
the Pittsburgh Pirates and drew a walk. On April 11, 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 (209) and at-bats (670), 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 (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.
Rose had his best offensive season in 1969, leading the league in
batting for the second straight season (.348) 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 (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 Pete 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 (opened just two
weeks earlier), Rose was involved in one of the most famous 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 Grabarkewitz. 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.
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 Mets second baseman Bud Harrelson while
trying to break up a double play; the fight resulted in a bench-clearing
brawl.
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 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. On July
25 in Shea Stadium, Rose singled in the third inning to set the National
League record of 38 consecutive games with a hit. On July 31, Rose
tied Willie Keeler 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 acknowledged by many as one
of the greatest teams ever, Rose was viewed as one of the club's leaders
(along with future Hall of Famer, first baseman 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.
The following year, Rose was a major force in helping the Reds repeat
as World Series winners. The 1976 Reds sweept 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. With Rose, the Phillies earned three division titles, two World Series appearances and one World Series title (1980).
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. 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.
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