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Cincinnati Reds, MLB, Alex Rodriguez, Wade Boggs and others 'heartbroken' over Pete Rose's death

The baseball world mourns Charlie Hustle's death while acknowledging his difficult legacy

ian casselberry
Contributing writer
·9-min read

The baseball world lost a legendary yet controversial figure on Monday with the death of Pete Rose.

Rose recorded more hits than any other player in baseball history, knocking in 4,239 during 19 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, in addition to stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Montreal Expos. He's one of only two players (with Ty Cobb) to accumulate 4,000 hits over his career.

Yet Rose received a lifetime ban from the sport in 1989 for gambling on games while managing the Reds, including betting on his own team's games. That prohibited him from getting work with any MLB team and made him ineligible to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Soon after reports of Rose's death circulated among news outlets and social media, the Reds posted a message saying the franchise was "heartbroken" by the passing of a team icon.

The Phillies praised Rose for "his grit and hustle," lauding Rose for being part of the team's 1980 World Series championship team.

Despite being banned from the sport, Major League Baseball acknowledged the legacy Rose left in the game.

ESPN baseball analyst Eduardo Perez, whose father, Tony, was a teammate of Rose's on the legendary "Big Red Machine" Reds teams of the 1970s, confirmed the news while appearing on "SportsCenter" following Monday's doubleheader between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.

Longtime Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman — whose father, Marty, was the team's play-by-play voice during the tail end of Rose's Reds career — also paid tribute.

"I had the pleasure of meeting Pete Rose when I was 10 years old in Tampa," said Brennaman, who covered the Reds while Rose was manager. "He was the same to me as a kid as he was when I announced his games. And never turned his back on a friend when my career was in taters. He was just an awesome guy to be around."

Marty Brennaman expressed his feelings through Cincinnati sports anchor Jeremy Rauch.

"I can't believe he is gone. My two best baseball friends gone," Brennaman told Rauch. "First Joe Morgan and now Pete. Right now, it's hard for me to come to grips with it."

Cincinnati sports talk radio host Mo Egger spoke for the city and its fan base, which considered Rose one of their own, no matter how much his status might have been tarnished. For so many people, he was a hero to them growing up.

"Pete Rose means a lot to a lot of people in this city. You may understand why. You may not understand why. But he does. For better or worse," Egger posted on social media.

"Whatever the second half of his life came to represent – and it’s made his legacy deeply complex – Pete is identified more than anyone with a period of time in Cincinnati that still means a bunch to a whole lot of people here. And a part of a lot of people’s youth just passed."

Another sports icon, Magic Johnson, praised Rose for "helping me fall in love with baseball."

Alex Rodriguez, who worked with Rose on Fox's MLB studio show during the postseason, said he's "absolutely heartbroken" over Rose's death.

"He always brought a smile to my face when we worked together at Fox," Rodriguez said. "He was [a] true original and 1 of 1. Nobody loved baseball more than Pete and I'll miss him terribly."

Famed slugger Jose Canseco, MLB's first 40-40 player, was among the first former players to express his condolences for Rose's death on social media.

Another acclaimed hitter, Wade Boggs, who had 3,010 hits during his baseball career, called Rose his "idol and friend."

Many in sports media passed along the news while expressing condolences, including ESPN's Mike Greenberg, New York Post reporter Jon Heyman and longtime baseball writers Jose de Jesus Ortiz and Jayson Stark.

"There has never been another player like Pete Rose in my lifetime," Greenberg wrote, while posting a famous photo of Rose making a headfirst slide into second base. "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, let's just say thanks to Charlie Hustle," he added, "for playing the way we always dreamt we would if given the chance."

"Pete Rose was the most mesmerizing baseball figure I ever covered," wrote Stark, an acclaimed writer for ESPN and The Athletic. "Just as we couldn't stop watching him when he played, we couldn't stop talking about him all these years since. It saddens me that he never had his Hall of Fame induction day.

"But so much of that is on him. He had chances to change his story," he continued. "He just never took the road to make that happen. So RIP to the Hit King. Thanks for the fun of watching you play. I'll never forget the memories you left us."

Louisville head basketball coach Pat Kelsey said Rose was his childhood hero and an inspiration.

"Pete Rose epitomized effort and hustle. The ultimate competitor," Kelsey wrote. "He was my childhood hero. My inspiration to dive on loose balls, sprint to first base on a walk and to play every game like it was my last. Rest In Peace Charlie Hustle. The Hall of Fame is worthless without you!"

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also issued a statement following Rose's death.

"In 1963, our parish priest Father Bertke took my dad and me to the Reds' Opening Day game. It happened to be Pete Rose's first game for the Reds," DeWine wrote. "Fran and our family had the joy of watching Pete play for the Reds hundreds of times over the years. No one ever worked harder or hustled more than Pete Rose. No one ever got more out of his natural talent than Pete Rose. It was a true joy to watch him play baseball."

Several of the tributes and eulogies for Rose mention his complicated legacy. Perhaps that's why there aren't more accolades for Rose online.

His being banned by Major League Baseball might make it difficult — or awkward — for many of the sport's entities to remark on Rose's death. Perhaps that will change in the days to come, as news of Rose's death becomes more widely known.

Regardless of whether Rose is officially welcome in baseball, he is unquestionably a part of baseball history, and his career is a cherished memory for many fans and contemporaries.