I REMEMBER ... Pete Rose
Baseball’s all-time hits leader
O
n September 11, 1985, 25 major league baseball seasons ago, Pete Rose became the hits king. Rose’s 4,192nd hit—which broke a tie with Ty Cobb—came in the bottom of the first inning at Riverfront Stadium against the San Diego Padres. Rose remembers he almost broke the record a few days before at Wrigley Field, but Shawon Dunston made a sharp defensive play to rob him. There was no such gem against the Padres.
I had a real good batting practice. Eric Show was pitching. I saw the ball good off of him. I was very aggressive. I took a pitch. I fouled one back. I took another pitch. Then I hit a ball to left-center, a line drive. If there had been two outs, or if it had been later in the game, I probably would’ve stretched it into a double. I made the big turn until Carmelo Martinez fielded the ball, then I went back. My first base coach, Tommy Helms, who was my roommate and teammate for many years, even stuck his hand out to give me a high-five. But I just kept on going. You don’t get caught up in the fact you just broke Ty Cobb’s record. Especially me—I was a player-manager, so I had to set an example of how to play the game the right way. The first couple minutes, you’re just enjoying it. Marge Schott, the Reds’ owner, brought out a Corvette. They came out and got the base. Everyone congratulated me. The first 4 or 5 minutes went by fast. You really saw three Pete Roses—you saw me get the hit, you saw my son come out and congratulate me, and you saw me looking to the clouds, thinking about my dad. You start thinking about everybody who’s responsible for getting you there. In my case, they’re all gone. Your high school coach, your little league coach, your uncle who
Rose, now 68, remembers every detail of his record-setting hit a quarter-century ago. signed you to a contract, your dad who was your mentor. It brings tears to your eyes. I guarantee you, I wasn’t the only one there crying. I have to think—I don’t know—but I have to think that it’s like giving a Hall of Fame induction speech. Most guys who go into the Hall of Fame, their little league coach is gone, their high school coach is gone, their parents are gone. That’s what gives you the goosebumps. That’s what gives you the tears. It’s the only time in my life I’ve been on a baseball diamond and I didn’t know what the hell to do. — As told to Matt Crossman ROSE (2009): DARRON CUMMINGS / AP; ROSE (1985): GETTY IMAGES
SPORTINGNEWS.COM 04/12/2010
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