Pete Rose, MLB's all-time leader in career hits, passed away Monday at the age of 83.
Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” for his dogged approach to baserunning, Rose had his legacy tarnished by a 1989 gambling investigation that led to his banishment from professional baseball. According to a detailed investigation spearheaded by attorney John Dowd, Rose allegedly bet on at least 52 Cincinnati Reds games when he served as the team’s manager. As manager, Rose reportedly wagered thousands of dollars on sports, part of a habit that saw him bet as much as $10,000 per day to whet his gambling appetite.
The Internal Revenue Service seized betting slips that apparently contained Rose’s name, weeks before the attorney issued the 225-page Dowd Report. By that June, the FBI obtained gambling sheets that purportedly showed that Rose bet on the Reds. Although the notes contained text that a handwriting expert deemed came from Rose, the manager denied allegations that he wagered on baseball.
Rose voluntarily accepted a spot on MLB’s permanent ineligible list on Aug. 24, 1989. While Rose signed a five-page document to acknowledge the ban, MLB agreed to not make a formal ruling on any of the gambling allegations. Rose initially believed the ban would be short, telling reporters he expected to be reinstated by the league. Bart Giamatti, then MLB commissioner, asserted that Rose did not receive a deal for reinstatement.
Although Rose admitted in 2004 that he bet on baseball and other sports while he served as manager of the Reds, he still denied betting against his team. Since the ban, Rose hasn't been reinstated by the league.
The Aftermath
Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hit mark in 1985 with a single against the Padres. Rose, who finished his MLB career with 4,256 hits, batted at least .300 in 15 of his 24 seasons in the league. In 1999, Rose earned a spot as an outfielder on MLB's All-Century Team. Several years later, Rose admitted gambling on baseball in his autobiography "My Prison Without Bars".
Since then, Rose tried unsuccessfully several times to be reinstated into baseball. Rose applied for reinstatement in 2015, but was denied by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who cited Rose's hesitancy to be more forthcoming about his gambling habits. Following his managerial career, Rose moved to Las Vegas, where he frequently signed autographs at a memorabilia shop and continued to bet on baseball. Rose reapplied twice more, in 2020 and 2022, but was denied by Manfred.
There has never been another player like Pete Rose in my lifetime. This is the way I will remember him, playing the game harder than anyone else ever did.
Few athletes will leave behind more complicated legacies. Today isn’t the day for that.
Today, let’s just say thanks to… pic.twitter.com/pXgnSZXUZg
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) September 30, 2024
After the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting in 2018, Major League Baseball signed partnerships with several commercial sportsbooks. Asked about MLB’s pivot regarding sports gambling advertising, Rose said reflexively in 2021, “Why is baseball doing what they're doing? Because of the dollars, because there's money in it.” Rose made the comments when he partnered with sports tout site UPick Trade, which sold his baseball picks for $89 a month.
Rose’s death on Monday was confirmed by the Clark County (Nev.) medical examiner’s office, ABC News reported. Perhaps Rose’s commitment to the game was exemplified most in a 2010 roast held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his record hit. In a tearful speech before numerous Reds’ teammates, Rose attempted to disabuse the notion that he disrespected baseball.
"I guarantee everyone in this room I will never disrespect you again,” Rose announced. “I love the fans, I love the game of baseball and I love Cincinnati baseball.”
