Three-time World Series Champion Pete Rose died in Las Vegas, Nevada earlier this week.
Last Monday, the death was confirmed by a medical examiner after Rose was found by a family member. Rose died of natural causes a day after appearing at an autograph show in Nashville with former teammates of the well-known “Big Red Machine” era Tony Perez, George Foster, and Dave Concepcion.
Rose was an integral part of those teams. Known as “Charlie Hustle,” Rose was known for his speed on the bases. He was the leadoff man for most of the Reds teams he was on and played a key role in their success. This success included three World Series wins, one of which Rose was named World Series MVP in. Rose was also named National League MVP in 1973 and holds several records such as the most games played and the National League record for the longest hitting streak which stands at 44.
However, the most impressive record Rose holds in baseball is his 4,256 hits. This is an impressive record as several successful MLB players have not come close to being within 500 hits of that record. In an era where the home run has become more prominent, one can only be amazed at how Rose’s record has stood for this long.
Rose’s consistency was the key to the hits record. In his 24 seasons as a player, Rose had 200 hits or more 10 times and more than 180 hits on four other occasions. Rose also led the league in hits seven times, allowing him to log a career batting average of .303.
While many will debate Rose’s eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame, one cannot deny how successful he was as a player. Rose’s 24-year career is the standard that every baseball player aspires to have, and it will continue to be that way for a very long time.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41538454/pete-rose-all-mlb-hits-leader-dies-83
