Special Editor
DongA.com, Song Chi-Hoon

With a decade of experience as a sports journalist and 30 years as a devoted baseball fan, Song Chi-Hoon brings deeper insights into the fascinating hidden stories of Major League Baseball.

※ This content is part of a special collaboration with MLB Park and features unique items from the Eland Museum.

On May 5, 1978, at Riverfront Stadium, the Cincinnati Reds faced off against the Montreal Expos.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, with two outs and the Reds trailing 1-3, the player wearing number 14 for Cincinnati hit a single to left field. It wasn’t a game-changing hit, but the moment was monumental, and the player couldn’t help but leap with joy.

The scoreboard lit up with the words:

‘PETE ROSE, NEWEST MEMBER OF BASEBALL'S 3000 HIT CLUB’

This hit made Pete Rose the 13th player in Major League Baseball history to reach the 3,000-hit milestone.

Rose, who had logged his first career hit—a triple—against Bob Friend of the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 13, 1963, went on to collect 170 hits that season, finishing with a .273 batting average, 6 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and 41 RBIs, earning him Rookie of the Year honors.

From that point on, Rose’s hit streak was unstoppable. He recorded 209 hits for the first time in 1965 and went on to achieve 200 or more hits in ten different seasons, along with 15 seasons batting over .300. Over 24 seasons, he was selected to the All-Star game 17 times, becoming one of the most popular players in the league.

From a young age, Rose was known for his aggressive “hustle” style of play. His relentless effort, even in non-crucial moments, earned him the nickname "Charlie Hustle" from Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford after Rose sprinted to first base on a walk during a spring training game.

However, Rose’s competitive nature sometimes led to controversy. A prime example was the 1970 All-Star Game when Rose collided with American League catcher Ray Fosse at home plate. The impact left Fosse with a severe shoulder injury, which plagued him throughout his career and led to his early retirement at 30. Rose was heavily criticized for his excessive competitiveness in an exhibition game.

Despite these controversies, Rose’s consistency and dedication as a player were unparalleled. Six years after his 3,000th hit, on April 13, 1984, Rose reached 4,000 hits by singling off Philadelphia’s Jerry Koosman, becoming only the second player in MLB history to reach that milestone after Ty Cobb. It took Rose exactly 21 years from his first hit to reach 4,000, with an average of 182 hits per year.

By the time he retired at the end of the 1986 season, Rose had accumulated 4,256 hits over 3,562 games. No player in MLB history has played more games, had more at-bats, or collected more hits than Pete Rose.

Despite playing exclusively in the National League, which did not have the designated hitter rule, Rose retired with a career batting average of .303, an on-base percentage of .375, a slugging percentage of .409, 160 home runs, 1,314 RBIs, 198 stolen bases, a wRC+ of 121, a bWAR of 79.6, and an fWAR of 80.1.

As one of the greatest accumulators of stats in baseball history, with three World Series titles, three batting titles, one MVP award, two Gold Gloves, a Rookie of the Year award, and 17 All-Star appearances, it was widely expected that Rose would be a first-ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame in 1992. The only question seemed to be how high his vote percentage would be.

But despite being the all-time hit leader in MLB history, Pete Rose’s career took a dramatic fall, resulting in a lifetime ban from baseball.

Rose’s downfall began in 1989 when allegations of illegal sports betting surfaced. On February 20, 1989, then-Commissioner Peter Ueberroth raised concerns about Rose’s involvement in betting, which Rose vehemently denied. However, Ueberroth’s successor, Commissioner Bart Giamatti, uncovered evidence confirming Rose’s betting activities.

‘Sports Illustrated’ ran multiple stories on Rose’s illegal betting, eventually revealing that Rose had placed thousands of dollars in illegal bets on 52 Cincinnati Reds games during the 1987 season. On August 24, 1989, Pete Rose was permanently banned from baseball.

With undeniable evidence against him, Rose immediately resigned as the Reds’ manager and sought treatment for gambling addiction. In 1991, his name was added to the ineligible list, making him ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration unless reinstated. Rose was especially criticized for betting on his own team’s games, which called into question the integrity of the sport.

Rose’s image continued to deteriorate. In 1990, he was fined $50,000 for tax evasion, and in 2004, he admitted to betting on baseball in his autobiography, ‘My Prison Without Bars.’ However, he maintained that he never bet against his own team, claiming, “I believed in my team.”

In 2014, Rose caused further controversy by claiming that PED use was worse than gambling, only for his son to be caught using banned substances shortly after. In 2015, ESPN revealed evidence that Rose had also bet on baseball during his playing career, further tarnishing his reputation.

In July 2017, allegations emerged that Rose had an inappropriate relationship with a minor during his playing days. When the Houston Astros were found to have engaged in sign-stealing during their 2017 World Series run, Rose demanded reinstatement, arguing that his actions were less severe.

In 2022, after Charlie Blackmon signed a deal with a sports betting company, Rose claimed he was born in the wrong era and called for reinstatement once more. In March 2024, when Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was implicated in a sports betting scandal, Rose again demanded reinstatement, but his appeals have consistently been rejected.

Despite his undeniable talent as a player, Rose’s legacy remains tarnished. Though the Cincinnati Reds unofficially retired his number 14 following the betting scandal, it wasn’t until 2016 that the team officially retired it. However, the team chose not to invite Rose to the opening of their new ballpark, Great American Ball Park, in 2003, reflecting the ongoing complexities of his legacy.

The downfall of a player who should have been remembered as a legend with the most hits in MLB history serves as a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining personal integrity and avoiding the pitfalls of off-field controversies.

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