Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time leader in hits who was banned from the Hall of Fame after he was caught gambling on baseball games, has died at age 83, the medical examiner in Clark County, Nevada, said on Monday.
The medical examiner did not provide information on Rose’s cause of death.
Rose played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1986. Most of his career was spent with the Cincinnati Reds. He later served as a manager for the Reds.
“The Reds are heartbroken to learn of the passing of baseball legend Pete Rose,” the Reds said in a post on X.
Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle” for his tenacious playing style, the switch-hitting Rose amassed a record 4 256 hits in his career. His 3 562 games and 14 053 at-bats are also MLB records.
Rose was named an All-Star 17 times and won the NL MVP in 1973. He was a key part of the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine” that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. He clinched a third championship with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980.
Rose won three batting titles and his lifetime average was .303. He hit 160 home runs and was renowned for his speed and fearless head first slides.
“Words can’t describe how I feel right now. My idol and friend. Growing up wanting to be Pete Rose. You’ll be dearly missed my friend,” Wade Boggs, the former New York Yankee who also won multiple batting titles, said in a statement on social media site X.
However, Rose’s glory on the field was partially overshadowed by the betting scandal that kept him from being named to the game’s Hall of Fame.
He was barred for life from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989, after an investigation into allegations he had broken baseball’s cardinal rule by gambling on games while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
Rose proclaimed his innocence for 15 years, before admitting in 2004 he had bet on games though never against his own team.
Rose petitioned the league to be allowed back into the sport numerous times over the years but was unsuccessful.
After his playing career was over, Rose offered guidance to young baseball players.
“I can give you three bits of advice and it’s good for a baseball player, a football player, a businessman, life in general,” Rose said.
“One, be aggressive. Two, be more aggressive. And three, never be satisfied,” he said.
“That’s the way I played the game – never satisfied.” (Reuters)
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