Rose, Pete (1941-…), was one of baseball’s all-time leading hitters and most exciting players. He made 4,256 hits in his career—the highest total in major-league history. Rose broke the record of 4,191 hits set by Ty Cobb, whose career ended in 1928. Rose hit safely in 44 straight games in 1978, tying an all-time National League single-season record set in 1897 by Wee Willie Keeler. Rose was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1973 and the league batting champion in 1968, 1969, and 1973.
Peter Edward Rose was born in Cincinnati on April 14, 1941. He played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1963 to 1978 and for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1979 to 1983. Rose played for the Montreal Expos for part of the 1984 season before returning to Cincinnati as player-manager. He ended his playing career after the 1986 season. Rose began his career as a second baseman, but later played the outfield, third base, and first base. In addition to his batting skills, Rose was noted for his aggressive style of play.
In 1989, Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti banned Rose from baseball for life. Giamatti based his action on evidence from an investigation conducted by his office into charges that Rose violated baseball rules by betting on baseball games. Rose denied betting on games but did not challenge Giamatti’s ruling. In 1990, Rose pleaded guilty to two counts of filing false federal income tax returns. His penalty included a prison sentence of five months and a fine. In his autobiography, My Prison Without Bars (2004), Rose finally admitted that he bet on baseball games during his baseball career. Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball also removed him from consideration for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
