Pete Rose, the Major League Baseball hit king who later became a gambling pariah, has died at the age of 83, the Clark County, Nevada, medical examiner confirmed Monday. at ABC News.
Rose was found at her home by a family member, according to the medical examiner. There were no signs of foul play.
The coroner will investigate to determine the cause and circumstances of death.
Outfielder Pete Rose #14 of the Cincinnati Reds waves to the crowd after outplaying Ty Cobb with his 4192 hit against San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show on September 11, 1985 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
Focus on sport/Getty Images, FILE
The medical examiner told ABC News that Rose was not under a doctor’s care when he died and the scene is being examined.
The coroner will investigate to determine the cause and circumstances of death.
ABC News has reached out to Rose’s representative.
In this Dec. 15, 2015, file photo, former baseball player and manager Pete Rose speaks at a news conference in Las Vegas.
Mark J. Terrill/AP, FILE
Rose brought a professional attitude to America’s pastime and earned countless fans for his hustle on the field. At the end of his 24-year career, 19 of which were with the Cincinnati Reds, he held the record for most career hits, as well as games played, plate appearances and at-bats. He was also a 17-time All-Star, NL MVP in 1973 and Rookie of the Year in 1963.
He also won three World Series – two with the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati clubs in 1975 and 1976, and a third with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980.
But Rose will always be remembered for being banned for life from MLB in 1989 for gambling on games while managing the Reds.
With Rose under suspicion, new MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti ordered an investigation led by John Dowd, a Justice Department lawyer, in April 1989. In June, the damning report was released, documenting at least 52 bets on Reds games in 1987. his first season as manager only after being player/manager for three seasons. The bets totaled thousands of dollars per day, according to the Dowd report.
In this June 3, 1981, file photo, Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies slides to third base during a baseball game against the New York Mets in Philadelphia.
Rusty Kennedy/AP, FILE
Faced with few options, Rose voluntarily agreed to go on baseball’s ineligibility list in August 1989. Despite this, Rose continued to deny ever playing on his own team for over a decade.
He eventually admitted to betting on Reds games in his 2004 autobiography, “My Prison Without Bars.” In an ABC News interview promoting the book, he also came clean for the first time.
“I bet on baseball in 1987 and 1988,” he told Charles Gibson of ABC News in an exclusive interview broadcast on January 8, 2004, on “Primetime Thursday.” “It was my mistake, not having been clear much sooner.”
He claimed he never bet against his team, saying he “wants[ed] to win every game.”
“I think what happens is at that point you bet on football and after football it’s basketball…and obviously the next thing after that is baseball,” Rose said. “It’s just a pattern you got yourself into.”
Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies bats during a 1980 baseball game.
AP, FILE
Two years after Rose was banned for life, the Baseball Hall of Fame decided that no one on the ineligible list would be allowed into the institution.
The controversy surrounding Rose’s suspension and ban from the Hall of Fame has taken on a life of its own, becoming a topic that sports fans often debate more than his legendary exploits on the field.
Even then-President Donald Trump weighed in on the debate in February 2020, tweeting: “He bet, but only on his team winning, and paid the price for decades. PUT PETE ROSE IN BASEBALL HALL OF FAME It’s time.”
Rose asked the league to be delisted in 1992, 1998, 2003, 2015 and 2022 – but was rejected or received no response each time.
“It was a part of my life that you can’t change, you wish it didn’t happen, but you can just guarantee it won’t happen again,” Rose told ABC News in 2004.
There is little debate as to whether his performance on the field merits inclusion in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds watches from the field during batting practice during a Major League Baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium circa 1985 in Pittsburgh.
George Gojkovitch/Getty Images
Rose’s pursuit of the career hit record captivated the country in 1985. Rose broke Ty Cobb’s hallowed record on September 11, 1985, with a single against the San Diego Padres for his 4,192nd hit. He would play only one more season, finishing his career with 4,256 hits.
Decades later, Rose remains at the top of the career success list. Only Derek Jeter (3,465), Albert Pujols (3,384) and Paul Molitor (3,319) have even come within 1,000 strokes of Rose’s record since it was set – and none have seriously challenged this brand.
Years earlier, in 1978, Rose gained attention when he broke Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak – perhaps the most vaunted record in sports. Beginning June 14, Rose would record a hit in 44 consecutive games. The streak finally ended on July 19, but 44 games remains the second-longest streak since 1900.
Rose was married twice and was in a long-term relationship with model Kiana Kim since 2011. The two appeared on a reality television show, “Pete Rose: Hits and Mrs.” in 2013. Rose has four children.
Rose’s oldest son, Pete Rose Jr., played in the minor leagues and independent baseball for more than 10 years, but played only 11 games in the major leagues with the Reds in 1997. He homered twice safe in career.
Rose never strayed from baseball, despite being on the sport’s ineligibility list. His number 14 was retired by the Reds and appeared on the sport’s fan-voted All-Century Team in 1999. The team was announced at that year’s All-Star Game in Boston and Rose received a standing ovation. Only three non-Hall of Fame players are on the 30-man roster, with Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire missing due to allegations of steroid use that emerged after the list was compiled.
“I owe baseball,” Rose told Gibson in 2004. “Baseball doesn’t owe me anything. I owe baseball. And the only way to make peace with baseball is to take that negative and make it a positive. “
Alex Stone of ABC News contributed to this report.
