Rose was old school, a conscious throwback to baseball's early days. He would crouch and scowl at the plate, running full speed to first even after drawing a walk. A 17-time All-Star, the switch-hitting Rose played on three World Series winners.
He holds the major league record for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890) and the NL record for the longest hitting streak (44). But no milestone approached his 4,256 hits, breaking his hero Ty Cobb's 4,191.
Rose's secret was consistency, and longevity. Over 24 seasons, all but six played entirely with the Reds, Rose had 200 hits or more 10 times, and more than 180 four other times. He batted .303 overall.
Every summer, three things are going to happen, Rose said, the grass is going to get green, the weather is going to get hot, and Pete Rose is going to get 200 hits and bat .300.
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