The American sports world received more bad news on Monday with the death of Pete Rose, the all-time leader in hits in the Major Leagues, at the age of 83 according to authorities in Clark County in Las Vegas, as first reported by TMZ portal.
“The family is asking for privacy at this time,” the former major leaguer’s agent, Ryan Fiterman, told the publication, which did not reveal the reasons for the death of the baseball legend who marked an era with the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Also Read: The Youngest MVP in NBA History Derrick Rose Announces His Retirement
This Monday, we learned of the death at the age of 58 of another legend of American sport, NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who during his successful career on the courts became one of Michael Jordan’s greatest rivals.
He was the winner of three World Series, two of them with the Cincinnati Reds, the team with which he began his Major League career back in 1963. He participated in the MLB All-Star Game 17 times, won the Rookie of the Year award, and set a large number of records throughout his 24 seasons as a player.
But the most important thing was his historic lead in hits in the Majors thanks to the 4,256 hits he connected in 15,890 at-bats. To put into perspective the importance of that number of hits, his closest pursuer is another MLB legend, Ty Cobb (4,180).
Among active players, Freddie Freeman has the most hits with 2,267. It is estimated that a player with a 20-season career in which he has at least 200 hits in each of them would still not come close to the number with which Pete Rose finished his career in 1986 wearing the uniform of the Philadelphia Phillies.
He left without receiving “forgiveness” from MLB
When talking about the Hall of Fame, Pete Rose’s name is perhaps the biggest absentee in Cooperstown, where he was banned from entering due to the gambling scandal he was involved in after having finished his successful career in the Major Leagues.
In 1989, the all-time leader in hits in the Majors admitted his guilt in an investigation into illegal betting on games in which he participated both as a player and later as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. This situation ended up costing him his banishment from baseball for more than 30 years.
This Monday, the Major League Baseball legend said goodbye to the earthly plane with his name still stained by that episode and left wanting to receive a “pardon” from the MLB to be able to be in the place, which for many, he should occupy among the rest of the Immortals.
Exaggerated sanction for Rose compared to other situations
Considering that Rose’s punishment endures to this day, other instances where Major League Baseball has had to act may not have been as severe.
Proof of this is how MLB addressed other issues such as the steroids scandal in the so-called “Mitchell Report,” which convicted dozens of players for the use of prohibited substances during a time when the Major League profited from the home run competition that featured players such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa or Mark McGwire, none of whom were considered for entry into the Hall of Fame.
Another example was the scandal involving the Houston Astros in 2017 when they managed to win the championship by stealing signs. The sanction? Five million dollars for the institution, a one-year suspension for the team’s manager and general manager, AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow, respectively, while all the players involved received no convictions.
All of this has led thousands of fans to believe that Rose’s punishment was exaggerated and should be reversed. But with the death of the historic player… What’s the point now?
