Baseball legend Pete Rose has died. He was 83 years old.
MLB legend Pete Rose has died at the age of 83, TMZ Sports has learned.
Rose, Major League Baseball's hit king, passed away earlier today at his home in Las Vegas.
Pete's agent, Ryan Fiterman of Fiterman Sports, confirmed the news, saying, "the family is asking for privacy at this time."
Pete was one of the greatest baseball players to ever grace a diamond, earning 17 All-Star Game nods, winning three World Series and the 1973 N.L. MVP.
He was one of the best to ever play the game.
Here's the announcement on SportsCenter.
A big loss for baseball.
Of course, one cannot talk about Pete Rose without talking about the lifetime ban he received from then-commisisioner of baseball Bartlett Giamatti, amid allegations he bet on sports, including baseball.
The decision divided baseball fans in the ensuing years with some arguing that he deserved to return to baseball and be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
That never happened during Rose's life, alas.
We'll be curious to see what MLB does now that Rose has passed away.
The lifetime ban is over.
Okay, this made us chuckle a little bit.
He played very hard.
He loved the game.
Very.
The post concludes:
Today, let’s just say thanks to Charlie Hustle, for playing the way we always dreamt we would if given the chance. #RIP
Yes, he did.
Post-baseball, he had some legal troubles including tax evasion. Rose did admit to gambling on baseball in a book published in 2004 and said it was his biggest regret.
And some fans believe -- given the induction of players who used performance enhancing drugs -- Rose deserved a pardon.
Solid advice.
The Reds inducted Rose into their Hall of Fame in 2016.
Rest in peace, Hit King.