From Cincinnati Reds On SI · · 3m
The Night Pete Rose Passed Ty Cobb
Forty-one years ago Pete Rose slapped a single into history, and baseball is still arguing about what it means.
In brief
Forty-one years ago Pete Rose slapped a single into history, and baseball is still arguing about what it means. Rose owns the four counting records baseball may never see broken again, and the gambling ban is why the Hall still has no room for him. Originally reported by Cincinnati Reds On SI.
September 11, 1985
Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's career hits record with number 4,192. It had stood for 57 years and may stand as the high-water mark of hitting forever.
First inning, Riverfront
The hit came off the Padres in the first inning at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Rose slapped it the other way, exactly the way he had built the other 4,191.
Forty-four and still managing
Rose was 44 and serving as the Reds' player-manager. He wrote himself into the lineup and then chased down the record himself.
Cobb's last swing
Ty Cobb's final hit came on September 3, 1928. Nobody got past him for nearly six decades.
The Hit King
The Reds marked the moment with the nickname that stuck. Rose was the Hit King from that at-bat onward.
“Pete Rose lays claim to the moniker "Hit King" with his 4,192nd career knock”
He finished at 4,256
Rose kept going and ended his career with 4,256 hits. That is the number anyone chasing him actually has to beat.
Four records, not one
Rose also leads all time in singles (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and games played. Volume was the whole career.
Nobody is close
Freddie Freeman leads active players with 2,587 hits and 2,319 games. Jose Altuve tops active singles at 1,721. None of it is within sight.
A Cincinnati career
Rose debuted with his hometown Reds in 1963, spent 16 years there, went to the Phillies in 1979, then came back to finish where he started.
The trophy case
Two World Series titles, Rookie of the Year in 1963, 13 All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves, an MVP, a World Series MVP, and the Roberto Clemente Award.
Banned for life
On August 24, 1989, while managing the Reds, Rose was banned from baseball for gambling on games. It was never proven he bet against his own team.
He bet them to win
Rose insisted the wagers were loyalty, not cynicism. He said he always backed his own club, even as a heavy underdog.
“I never, ever, bet against my teams. If I had, I'd be doubting everything I believed in.”
Number 14 comes back
The Reds got special permission from MLB and retired Rose's number 14 in 2016, while the lifetime ban was still in force.
Reinstated, too late
Rob Manfred lifted the ban on May 13, 2025, eight months after Rose died in September 2024. The 1991 "Pete Rose rule" had kept him off ballots all along.
What matters most
Rose owns the four counting records baseball may never see broken again, and the gambling ban is why the Hall still has no room for him.
