Baseball Greats - Pete Rose

Peter Edward Rose Sr. was born on April 14, 1941, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He played Major League Baseball for 23 years from 1963 to 1986 and is most well known for his years spent with the Cincinnati Reds. Rose was an excellent ball player and hold several leading records, including most hits (with 4,256 to his name), most games played (3,562 total), and most at bats (14,053). He holds three World Series rings, a Most Valuable Player Award, a Rookie of the Year Award, three batting titles, two Golden Gloves, and 17 All-Star games in five different positions (an unequalled feat).

In 1969, he had his best offensive season ever, with 120 runs, 218 hits, 88 walks, 33 doubles, 11 triples, and 16 home runs. He drove 82 runs, and slugged .512. However, despite this fabulous season, the Reds finished four games behind first place, and Rose lost the MVP title to Willie McCovey.

Unfortunately, with all of these statistics vouching for his greatness, his game is not the reason that most remember the name of Pete Rose. Three years after retirement, in August of 1989, Rose agreed to be reprimanded with a lifetime ban from baseball.

Accusations had been made that Rose had gambled on games during which he was playing and managing the Reds, including betting on his own team. In 2004, after years of publicly denying the accusations, he finally admitted to gambling on his games. However, he adamantly denies the idea of having bet against his team.

After banning Rose, the Baseball Hall of Fame specified clearly that anyone who is banned from the sport is ineligible for induction, regardless of their records and talent. In the past, exclusion from the Hall of Fame due to banning had been an informal agreement among the voters. The issue of possibly reinstating Rose so that he may be elected to the Hall of Fame has been a discussion for years, and perhaps in time, the rules will change.

Though the ban also makes it impossible for the Cincinnati Reds to formally retire Rose’s #14 jersey, the only time anyone has ever worn the number since was during a brief attempt by his son to play with the team in 1997, and it is extremely unlikely the number will ever be reassigned to another player.