One of MLB's all-time great hitters died on Monday, as Reds legend Pete Rose passed away at the age of 83.
Rose's place in baseball history is unsettled after a gambling scandal that resulted in a lifetime ban 35 years ago, but his on-field production is something that might never be matched. Rose is the all-time hits leader with 4,256, and he's also played more games than any player in MLB history.
If one play sums up the mentality Rose played with, it might be one that didn't officially count but helped shape his reputation forever.
Here's a look back at Rose's collision with Ray Fosse during the 1970 MLB All-Star Game.
MORE PETE ROSE:
MLB world mourns loss | Explaining gambling scandal | Origin of 'Charlie Hustle' nickname | Hall of Fame chances?
Pete Rose-Ray Fosse collision
One of Rose's most memorable moments came at the end of the 1970 All-Star Game when he scored the game-winning run for the National League in the 12th inning.
It didn't come easily for Rose. The Reds star barreled into Indians catcher Ray Fosse head-first, initiating a brutal collision that many criticized as being too aggressive for an exhibition game.
Pete Rose obliterated Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star Game (fracturing and separating Fosse's shoulder) and then after the game said "nobody told me they changed it to girls’ softball between third and home.” pic.twitter.com/4rPRLbr3n4
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 1, 2024
Rose had plenty of reasons to protect himself as one of the most integral pieces of a Reds team with legitimate World Series hopes, but he put his body on the line in what was a closely contested All-Star Game. The run gave the NL an ultimately meaningless 5-4 win, but clearly it meant something to Rose, who went all-out regardless of the situation.
Fosse, who became a broadcaster for the Athletics after his playing career, suffered a fractured and separated shoulder during the play. He claimed he dealt with chronic pain for decades after the incident because the injury healed incorrectly.
Fosse died in 2021 after a battle with cancer after spending 36 years in a color analyst role for the A's.
MORE: Pete Rose's gambling scandal, explained
Why was Pete Rose nicknamed Charlie Hustle?
Rose competitive spirit and intense effort on the field earned him the nickname "Charlie Hustle" early in his MLB career, but the birth of the moniker actually came from a pair of baseball greats.
Yankees legends Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford referred to Rose as "Charlie Hustle" after a spring training game in 1963, just as Rose was starting his career with the Reds. Rose dove head-first into third base during the game and quickly got back up to run to home plate.
It was impossible for Mantle and Ford to know the kind of player Rose would become, but as he became one of the faces of the sport, the nickname stuck.
Rose led the league in doubles three times and recorded 135 triples, so the pairing of his signature hustle and his historically great contact bat made him a baseball legend.
