Pete Rose, known for being Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader and for betting on the sport, has died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada at age 83. The cause of his death has not yet been reported.
Peter Edward Rose was born in Cincinnati to Harry Francis Rose and the former LaVerne Bloebaum. He played baseball and football in high school, but was held back for one year, which caused him to use up his athletic eligibility before his senior year. In the spring of 1960, he played for a team in Lebanon, Ohio which was a member of the Dayton Amateur League. Rose was signed to the Cincinnati Reds at the urging of his uncle Buddy Bloebaum, who was one of their scouts.
During spring training before the 1963 season, in a game against the New York Yankees, Rose sprinted to first base after drawing a walk. In response, Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford called Rose "Charlie Hustle", which he adopted as a nickname. He went on to not only make the Red's major league roster that year, but became the National League Rookie of the Year. He played for the Reds from 1963 to 1978, becoming a key member of successful teams known as the Big Red Machine. His position shifted from second base to right field to left field to third base. In 1973, he was the National League Most Valuable Player. In 1978, he had a 44-game hitting streak.
In 1979, Rose was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent and stayed with the team through 1983, playing mostly first base. In 1984, he was signed by the Montreal Expos and later traded back to the Reds, where he became both player and manager. He retired from playing after the 1986 season and was fired from managing during the 1989 season.
In August of 1989, Rose was banned from baseball due to allegations that he bet on baseball games. This ban included his becoming ineligible for the baseball Hall of Fame. He denied making such bets until later in life.
Rose entered the U.S. Army Reserves after the 1963 baseball season, spending six months at Fort Knox on active duty and then six years on reserve duty.
As a player, Rose holds numerous major league career records, including the most plate appearances (15,890), at bats (14,053), hits (4,256), times on base (5,929), games played (5,632), and outs (10,328). He was also the only major league player to play at least 500 games at five different positions. Besides playing multiple positions, he was also a switch hitter.
Rose married Karolyn Englehardt in 1964. They had children, Fawn and Pete Jr., before divorcing in 1980. He had a daughter named Morgan Erin Rubio in 1978, as the result of an affair. He married Carol Woliung in 1984. They had two children, Tyler and Cara, before divorcing in 2011. He started a relationship with model Kiana Kim in 2009. They became engaged in 2011, but did not marry. He is survived by his five children.
Read more at The Cincinnati Enquirer, WCPO, WPVI-TV, ESPN and Bleacher Report. See also his page at Baseball Reference.
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