One of the greatest Major League Baseball players of all time, Pete Rose, died at age 83 on September 30, 2024.
The MLB’s all-time hitter (4,256), continued to do press for his HBO docuseries, “Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose” in the weeks leading up to his death. In what’s believed to be his last on-camera interview, the three-time World Series champ shared his dying wish.
Rose, who was banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on his own team more than 50 times while managing the Cincinnati Reds, per the Dowd Report, wanted his ban from the Hall of Fame reversed. “I keep convincing myself or telling myself, ‘Hang in there, Pete, you’ll get a second chance,’” he told KTLA-TV on September 7.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I was absolutely 110% wrong in what I did… and that’s bet on baseball games and now you’re punished for the rest of your life. I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to a lot of people.”
Looking back on his life, “I’ve been suspended for over 30 years and haven’t been close to a second chance,” he said. “And I won’t need a third chance.”
The medical examiner in Clark County, Nevada, confirmed, “Rose was found at his home by a family member,” ABC News reported on Monday. “There were no signs of foul play. The coroner will investigate to determine cause and manner of death.” Rose was not under a doctor’s care when he died.
Pete Rose Did Not Want to Be Voted Into the Hall of Fame After His Death
GettyPete Rose speaks during a news conference at Pete Rose Bar & Grill to respond to his lifetime ban from MLB for gambling being upheld on December 15, 2015.
While there’s a large contingency of MLB fans and analysts calling for Rose to get posthumously enshrined in Cooperstown, New York, Rose said didn’t want that.
“I don’t see much sense in putting me on the ballot after I die,” he told KTLA. “Because for a player to go into his or her Hall of Fame, it’s more or less for your family, and it’s more or less for your fanbase.”
“There’s nothing I can change about the history of Pete Rose,” he said. “Eventually, everybody in the world is going to hear me say, ‘I’m sorry I bet on baseball.’ Because it’s the truest statement I’ve ever said in my life.”
MLB shared a statement following Rose’s death: “Major League Baseball extends its deepest condolences to Pete Rose’s family, his friends across the game, and the fans of his hometown of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Montreal and beyond who admired his greatness, grit and determination on the field of play. May he rest in peace.”
Pete Rose’s Attorney Argued, It’s Not a ‘Hall of Morals’
GettyCincinnati Reds switch hitter Pete Rose, at bat, takes a swing during a game.
Rose’s attorney, Jeffrey Lenkov, joined Rose for his KTLA interview, pushing his client’s Hall of Fame campaign. “Now’s the time because Pete has done his time,” Lenkov said. “And we’re not talking about a Hall of Morals. It’s a Hall of Fame based on the game and Pete should have that.”
The 1963 National League Rookie of the Year holds the record for most singles (3,215), at-bats (14,053), games played (3,562), and plate appearances (15,890).
“The pathway starts first with the MLB giving its acquiescence to the Hall, putting Pete on a ballot,” Lenkov explained. “And if they let him in, fantastic. If they decide no, then Pete goes to his last days knowing he was at least on the ballot one way or another.”
Rose, who spent the bulk his career with the Cincinnati Reds, also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos before retiring as a player in 1986.
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