Legendary sportscaster Jim Gray remembers MLB star Pete Rose

Pete Rose captivated Major League Baseball audiences for 24 years in three different organizations by setting records for hits, at-bats and games played.

The Clark County coroner in Nevada confirmed to Fox News on Monday that Rose died at age 83. The cause of death was initially unknown. As news of his death spread around the world, tributes and memories poured in.

“Charlie Hustle,” as he was known in his glory days with the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos, was considered a polarizing figure in the baseball world who seemed to give it his all whether he was playing afternoon, evening or exhibition games.

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Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies slides to third base during a baseball game against the New York Mets in Philadelphia on June 3, 1981. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File)

“Stubborn, determined, relentless, competitive, vicious competitor with what he did to Ray Fosse during the All-Star Game, in a game that was perhaps important at the time,” legendary sportscaster Jim Gray told Fox News Digital, when asked to describe competitor Rose for the baseball fan more in tune with today's stars. “I think he played and cared about the results. He cared about his personal results. He cared about his team's results and was aggressive. The fans loved him. They loved that he showed up to work every day and did his best. “And to my knowledge, what we saw on the field was his drive to win.”

Gray recalled some of his first memories of Rose on the field when he was the host of the Phillies' pre-game shows. Rose played in Philadelphia from 1979 until midway through the 1983 season, when he was traded to the Expos.

The greatness he brought to the field was ultimately overshadowed by a gambling scandal during his time as manager of the Reds, the likes of which had not occurred in the sport since the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

Rose was questioned in February 1989 about whether he had played baseball. At that point he only admitted to placing bets on football, basketball and horse racing, while he vehemently denied betting on baseball. Some of the allegations were detailed in a Sports Illustrated report, prompting attorney John M. Dowd to launch an investigation and turn it over to then-commissioner Bart Giamatti.

Dowd's report was presented to Giamatti in May 1989 and made public in June 1989. The report claimed that Rose had bet on at least 52 Reds games in 1987.

Pete Rose died on September 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Rose ultimately agreed to voluntarily be placed on the baseball exclusion list with the option to seek reinstatement. Gray told Fox News Digital that Rose and Giamatti wanted to figure out how to get him back in the game, but Rose's lawyer, Reuven Katz, didn't want his client to admit to playing baseball and accept the deal offered – which led to that also included Rose, who sought comprehensive addiction and rehabilitation help.

According to Gray, Dowd told him that Katz told Giamatti, “Peter is a legend.” To which Giamatti replied, “No, baseball is the legend.”

Pete Rose's death sends baseball world into mourning: 'Completely broken'

Rose applied for reinstatement in 1992, 1998, 2003, 2015, 2020 and 2022. However, the two commissioners, Fay Vincent, Bud Selig and Rob Manfred, either never responded or rejected Rose's requests outright. The fact that she was on the ineligible list prevented Rose from being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rose's support seemed to be divided among the legends in the game. Ted Williams said in 2000 that he did not believe Rose should be inducted into the Hall Fame.

“I feel sorry for Pete Rose, but he committed baseball’s cardinal sin. He played,” he told the New York Times.

Former Philadelphia Phillies player Pete Rose waves to fans during an alumni day on August 7, 2022 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Mike Schmidt acknowledged in 2017 that Rose would not be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but wondered why the slugger never achieved the “same level of forgiveness” that other guys have when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, according to the Philly Voice.

Years later, Rose admitted to betting on baseball despite repeated denials in an autobiography, including in a famous interview with Gray at Turner Field in 1999, when he was honored as part of the All-Century team.

Additionally, Manfred made it clear that reinstating Rose would be “an unacceptable risk” as sports betting becomes more common in the United States.

Gray, who wrote about Rose in his book “Talking to GOATs: The Moments You Remember and the Stories You Never Heard,” said he doesn't think it's surprising that Rose is still ineligible to play, despite baseball's close connection to gambling.

“No, I don’t think that’s strange,” Gray told Fox News Digital. “The rules were the rules and the rules were applied to him based on the conditions at the time this happened. He signed his own ban from baseball with the opportunity to reapply, and neither request was successful.”

Former Cincinnati Reds player Pete Rose waves to fans after being introduced at the Reds Hall of Fame induction ceremony July 15, 2023 in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

“So he knew the terms and he agreed to those terms. And just because times have changed and things have changed does not in any way change the fundamental underlying problem. And that affects every active manager, player or anyone in it.” An official in baseball can ever bet on the sport, and if caught doing so, the punishment must be severe.

Gray added that he still believes Rose deserves to be in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown, albeit with an explanation for his misconduct.

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“Having said all of this and understanding that being a Hall of Famer comes with a baseball and gambling ban. We don't live in the Soviet Union. And you can't erase a man's record. And what he did on the field is Hall of Fame worthy because he had more hits than anyone else, and he was productive while doing it. And they obviously never received the plaque and the honor during their lifetime. If they were to do this posthumously, perhaps it should reflect that he was banned from baseball and the reason why is on the plaque – but he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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