Pete Rose, MLB‘s all-time hit king who was banned during his managerial career over a betting scandal, has died, as reported by Variety. He was 83.
The medical examiner in Clark County, Nev., confirmed Rose’s death on Monday. No other information is available at this time.
Rose, also known by his nickname “Charlie Hustle,” played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1986. He was known for his professional playing time with the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine,” which won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976, and also had brief stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos. He earned another title with the Phillies in 1980.
Rose was a 17-time All-Star and tallied a Major League record of 4,256 career hits. He was named National League MVP in 1973, as well as won two Gold Gloves and three batting titles.
After acting as the Reds’ player-manager from 1984 through the 1986 season, he managed the team full-time until 1989. On Aug. 24 of that year, Rose voluntarily accepted a lifetime ban from baseball due to accusations that he placed wagers on games while playing for and managing the Reds. After denying these accusations for years, in his 2004 autobiography “My Prison Without Bars,” Rose admitted that he had gambled on baseball games, claiming he placed bets with bookies on Cincinnati Reds games when he managed the team in 1987.
In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame voted to ban those on the “permanently ineligible” list from induction, preventing Rose’s selection chances. Rose applied for reinstatement multiple times over the years but was always denied.
Cincinnati posted a tribute to Rose on social media soon after news of his death emerged. “The Reds are heartbroken to learn of the passing of baseball legend Pete Rose,” wrote the team on X, formerly Twitter.
A Cincinnati native, Rose was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016.
