Pete Rose, MLB Hit King Given Lifetime Ban For Gambling, Reaches End Of Lifetime At 83

The highly-accomplished 24-season career was made all for naught after getting caught betting on games and becoming permanently ineligible for the Hall of Fame

Oh we’re here again. Pete Rose, whose 4,256 hits are the most in Major League Baseball history as part of a Hall of Fame career he locked himself out of as punishment for a gambling scandal that may seem bizarre or quaint in a 2024 where sports betting is so prominent, died Monday in Clark County, Nevada at the age of 83.

Confirmed by the medical examiner, Rose’s body was found by a family member and the coroner will investigate to determine the cause and manner of death. There are no signs of foul play. "Major League Baseball extends its deepest condolences to Pete Rose's family, his friends across the game, and the fans of his hometown of Cincinnati, Philadelphia and beyond who admired his greatness, grit and determination on the field of play, which lifted him to the top of the all-time hits list and to three World Series titles. May he rest in peace," the league said in a statement. Rose was born on April 14, 1941 a Cincinnati native from a working-class neighborhood who learned switch hitting from his father. Rose graduated from high school in June 1960 and joined the Cincinnati Reds' level D minor league team two days later. The D-level would be abolished (along with B and C) as the hierarchy became solely Single A, AA, and AAA in 1963.

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Not only did he amass the most hits in MLB history over a playing career that lasted from 1963 to 1986 primarily for the Reds, with several seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies and a brief stint with the Montreal Expos, he played in the most games at 3,562 and had the most at-bats at 15,890. Rose won Rookie of the Year, three batting titles, and National League MVP in 1973 and was a 17-time All-Star and 1975 World Series MVP.

Rose was already a polarizing figure with his hard-nose playing (and managing?) style before his gambling scandal and ensuing lifetime ban. His hard-nosed style was loved by fans of his team but not appreciated by all. At the 1970 All-Star Game Rose scored the winning run by barreling over Cleveland catcher Ray Fosse at the plate, which was too much for many even at a time All-Star Games were taken more seriously than today. In 1989, the league conducted an investigation into rumors that Rose, then in his sixth season managing the Reds, had bet on baseball. John Dowd's report concluded Rose had placed wagers on baseball games, even those with his own team. The official statement said they found that the "accumulated testimony of witnesses, together with the documentary evidence and telephone records reveal extensive betting activity by Pete Rose in connection with professional baseball and, in particular, Cincinnati Reds games, during the 1985, 1986, and 1987 baseball seasons." The ensuing legal battle had Rose long denying ever betting on baseball, until he finally conceded and accepted a lifetime ban from then-commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, Paul’s dad, to prevent a definitive determination from occurring. Shortly after the ban went into effect, Rose was soon convicted of tax evasion and served months in prison.

It was believed by many Rose accepted the ban in hopes of eventually successful reinstatement, success never came. His last application was in 2015. He finally admitted some wrongdoing in a 2004 autobiography, namely the betting on baseball, including Reds games, though he denied betting against them. The league allowed him to be part of All Century Team festivities in 1999 but that was the one exception ever made.

In 2017, Rose was accused of statutory rape in a court document by a woman he had a sexual relationship with for several years in the 1970s, beginning before she turned 16, Ohio’s legal age of consent. He acknowledged the relationship but stood firm in his belief that it started when she was 16. At the time the accusations surfaced, he was a color analyst for Fox Sports’s Major League Baseball coverage and had been for over two years at that point, but the allegations put an end to it. It also resulted in the cancellation of his Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame ceremony, which was never rescheduled. All of his Reds honorings happened beforehand, voted into team's Hall of Fame in 2016, and a bronze sculpture of Rose's iconic slide was unveiled outside of Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park earlier in 2017. When Ohio’s legalized betting began at the start of 2023, Rose was the first to place a bet. He is survived by his four children.

"The Phillies are saddened to learn of Pete Rose's passing. He will always be remembered for his grit and hustle, and for playing an integral role in bringing the team its first World Series championship."

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Sources: ESPN, MLB, CBS Sports