Philadelphia Phillies and Mike Schmidt remember MLB hit king Pete Rose

Larry Shenk still remembers that day at Veterans Stadium in 1981.

Shenk, the Philadelphia Phillies’ longtime public relations chief, walked with him down the hallway Pete Rose right after “Charlie Hustle” broke Stan Musial’s all-time National League hits record.

“I assume the president is calling me tonight, right?” Shenk said Rose asked him then.

Little did Rose know that President Ronald Reagan was calling to congratulate him on this milestone.

“It was the funniest press conference we had because Ronald Reagan couldn’t get through to Pete Rose,” Shenk said. “Pete Rose once said, ‘It’s a good thing there’s no rocket coming.'”

Rose, the MLB’s all-time scoring leader and three-time World Series champion who helped the Phillies win their first title in 1980, has died, the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner in Nevada confirmed Monday. He was 83 years old. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

Rose scored 4,256 hits, surpassing Ty Cobb’s record, was a 17-time All-Star and three-time batting champion, and won the 1973 NL MVP with the Reds.

In 1989, Rose was banned from baseball and ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rose spent five seasons with the Phillies from 1979 to 1983, and Shenk was there to see it all as the team’s public relations director.

“He was a winner,” Shenk said. “He came from Cincinnati, where they won with the Big Red Machine. Philadelphia was hungry for a winner at this point. We had a good young team with (Mike) Schmidt, (Larry) Bowa, (Greg) Luzinski, (Steve) Carlton. But we needed that spark to get us over the hump and he was the one.”

Phillies and Reds react to Pete Rose’s death

Rose spent the early part of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, where he won two World Series. But he came to Philly in 1979 and called the Vet home for five seasons until 1983, when he helped the franchise win its first World Series in 1980.

In five seasons with the Phillies, Rose hit .29/.365/.361 with a .726 OPS and recorded 826 total hits. Rose appeared in the All-Star Game four of his five seasons in Philadelphia.

“The Phillies are saddened to learn of the passing of Pete Rose,” the Phillies wrote in a statement. “He will always be remembered for his courage and dedication and for playing a critical role in bringing the team its first World Series title.”

Schmidt, who played with Rose on the 1980 World Series team, said in a statement that he was “saddened” to hear of Rose’s death.

“My condolences go out to his family,” Schmidt said in a statement. “I was lucky that I got to play with Pete and watch him every day. As a teammate, he boosted my confidence, made me laugh and kept me relaxed. He taught me to enjoy the game, perhaps the advice I needed most.”

Ruben Amaro Jr., a former Phillies general manager and outfielder and currently an analyst for NBC Sports Philadelphia, posted a photo of X on Rose following news of his death.

The Reds, where Rose played for 19 seasons, said they were devastated to hear of Rose’s death.

Rose’s Complicated Legacy

Rose was popular with fans in Philly despite only playing five seasons in the city. He embodied Philadelphia’s courage and tenacity.

But Rose’s baseball legacy was tarnished after he was banned from the sport and ineligible for Hall of Fame induction for betting on games.

Rose was also accused of having a relationship with a minor in 1973 while playing for the Reds, which led to a relationship with the Phillies Scrap plans to add him to the Wall of Fame in 2017.

In 2022, Rose appeared at Citizens Bank Park for the first time since his lifetime baseball ban Questions of sexual misconduct were dismissed.

“It was 55 years ago, baby,” Rose told Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time.

Rose later apologized to Coffey, saying, “Will you forgive me if I sign 1,000 baseballs for you?”

The woman, identified as Jane Doe in 2017, said Rose called her in 1973 when she was 14 or 15 and they began a sexual relationship in Cincinnati that lasted several years. She also claimed that Rose met her for sex in locations outside of Ohio.

Rose’s lawyer said at the time that the woman’s claims were unconfirmed.

Rose admitted in 2017 that he did indeed have a relationship with the woman, but said it started when she was 16. He also said they never had sex outside of Ohio.

Rose was in her mid-30s at the time, married and had two children.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.