Pete Rose RIP

[sgt.null]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/ ... at-83.html

MLB hit king Pete Rose passed away today at age 83, according to a report from TMZ. The Reds have since confirmed the news. Rose was a 17-time All-Star and the 1973 National League MVP.

A Cincinnati native, Rose signed with his hometown team out of high school. The Reds called him up in 1963. Rose hit .273 while appearing in 157 games during his debut season. He won the NL Rookie of the Year award while establishing himself as Cincinnati’s everyday second baseman. That kicked off one of the most illustrious playing careers in league history.

Rose suffered through a sophomore slump but rebounded with a strong ’65 season. He led MLB with 209 hits while running a .312/.382/.446 line. He earned his first All-Star selection and a sixth-place finish in NL MVP balloting. That was the first of six straight seasons in which Rose would appear among the Senior Circuit’s top 10 in MVP voting.

Throughout the rest of the 1960s, Rose never hit below .300 despite the league skewing extremely favorably for pitching. He topped 200 hits in four of the final five years of the decade. Rose won consecutive batting titles in 1968 and ’69, securing his first two top five MVP finishes in the process. He moved off second base to the corner outfield midway through that run and would secure consecutive Gold Glove nods as an outfielder in 1969-70.

Excellent as those performances were, Rose truly broke out as an all-time great in the following decade. He was integral part of the budding dynasty in Cincinnati that would dominate the National League during the 1970s. The Big Red Machine won their first pennant in 1970, a season in which Rose hit .316 with an MLB-best 205 hits. The Reds were bounced by the Orioles in the World Series. After missing the playoffs in ’71, they returned to the Fall Classic in 1972 behind Rose and Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez. They dropped a seven-game set to the A’s.

Rose again led the majors in hits in ’72. His 1973 campaign, at age 32, was the best of his career. Rose tallied a personal-best 230 hits while hitting .338/.401/.437 over 752 plate appearances. He won his third and final batting title, secured his seventh All-Star nod and won the MVP. The Reds won another division title but were knocked out by the Mets in a closely fought NL Championship Series.

[Fist and Faith]

Oh wow. What an amazing time for baseball. And for an American boy to be growing up. Yankees fan forever, so I was happier soon. But the Big Red Machine. Damn. Who can imagine a team beating the Red Sox in 75? But nobody beats the Big Red Machine. And Rose was no small part of that. Batting champion three times. Lead the league in hits seven times. 44 game hitting streak. Never stuck out 100 times. Charlie Hustle.

[SoulBiter]

Maybe they will finally get him in the HOF... its a tragedy that they never did so while he was alive.

[sgt.null]

The gatekeepers will not allow it.