Who is Pete Rose? Everything you need to know about his tryst with betting during famed MLB career

Former MLB player Pete Rose accepted a lifetime suspension for betting on baseball 25 years ago. Rose participated in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 through 1986, most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds squad known as "The Big Red Machine" for sweeping the National League in the 1970s.

He managed the Reds from 1984 to 1989, both during and after his playing career.

This could not be more ironic. Unban Pete Rose and put him in the hall of fame. – Ryan

After the 1986 season, Rose left the game as the all-time leader with 4,256 hits and 3,562 games played. His combative playing style made him a fan favorite and the driving force behind the Big Red Machine.

In total, he managed the Cincinnati Reds for parts of six seasons after taking over as player and manager for the team in 1984.

According to what he admitted in 2007, it was when he was in charge that he began placing frequent bets on the Reds.

"I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team," Rose said on ESPN Radio. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game."

He steadfastly refuted the accusations against him for nearly 15 years, until his autobiography, My Prison Without Bars, which was published in January 2004, revealed the truth about his gambling.

Here’s everything you need to know about Pete Rose’s tryst with betting

Rose was a notorious gambler, but there were rumors that he was wagering on baseball. Rose's identity, penmanship, and fingerprints were found on betting slips that the IRS seized, and the next day it was revealed that he was wagering between $8,000 and $10,000 per day on baseball.

The league declared it would start a thorough probe a month later. The "Dowd Report," a 225-page report from investigator John Dowd, was delivered to incoming Commissioner Bart Giamatti on May 9, 1989.

San Diego Padres vs. Cincinnati Reds

A thorough assessment of his gambling habits was provided in the report, along with a day-by-day summary of his 1987 wagering, which covered 52 Reds games. On August 24, 1989, the league subsequently imposed a lifetime ban.

Rose recently made the first sports wager to be authorized in Ohio history at Hard Rock Casino. Despite being officially approved by Governor Mike DeWine in December 2021, the new sports gambling law in the Buckeye State went into effect on January 1.

Pete Rose bets on the Reds to win the World Series with the first official legal sports bet in Ohio (via@MichelleAlf) – Baseball Bros

Switch-hitter Rose has the record for most hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215), and outs in MLB history (10,328). Pete also garnered three batting crowns, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, and the Rookie of the Year Award, in addition to three World Series titles.