Pete Rose Final Interview on The All-Star Game Collision and Ichiro Suzuki
There are some moments in sports that stay etched in minds and gets brought up regardless of how much time has gone by. One such incident is a collision that occurred over 50 years ago. And before his passing, MLB’s all-time hits leader gave one final thought on it. Yes, the Pete Rose final interview is on the 1970 All-Star Game Collision and a “hits battle” with Ichiro Suzuki.
When people think contact sports, baseball doesn’t readily come to mind. Most likely fans probably think the NFL or NHL. Well, this is because of the modern baseball league which protects the lives of catchers. However back in day, a runner could channel his inner rugby and plow right into catchers and score. In 1970, during the All-Star Game Pete Rose famously barreled into Ray Fosse. Like really plowed the guy. But the efforts were not in vain. Rose scored the winning run.
Yes, the Reds iconic outfielder, Pete Rose went full on Ray Lewis into Ray Fosse to score the winning run in the 12th inning of the 1970 All-Star Game. Helping the National League to beat the American League 5-4.
So then, what did Rose have to say about the collision? Pete goes,
“I was pretty lucky in that situation. The ball was about this far from Fosse. He’s reaching for it. If he’d had the ball, he’d have planted me into next week. But he didn’t have the ball. You can’t concentrate on two things, the runner and the ball. The same thing happened (in 1972) on Opening Day against Duke Sims and the Dodgers, and I’m going on contact. He caught it, threw it to the catcher, Duke Sims, and that guy knocked me into the middle of next week. Those are the little things that happen in the game of baseball, in sports. Who says who’s right and who’s wrong? I guess I was right because I won the (All-Star) game. But no one b*tched about that, it seems like. I wasn’t trying to hurt Ray Fosse. I took him out to eat the night before.”
Pete Rose on collision with Ray Fosse in 1970 All-Star Game at Riverfront
What about now though? Any change in thinking on collisions at the plate or takeout slides? Rose adds,
“I don’t understand this. As long as you play within the rules of the game, who gives a sh— if you knock the shortstop or the second baseman on his ass? Or who gives a sh— if the shortstop or second baseman throws underneath and hits you sliding. It’s part of the game. You can’t be pitty-patty about everything. You don’t want to get anybody hurt. But I only knew one way to play, and that was play to win. That’s why I got more wins than anybody else.”
We’re sure catchers are thankful for recent changes. But some fans most likely can see Rose’s POV as well. Nevertheless, Pete also chatted about Ichiro Suzuki’s 4,367 hits exceeding Rose’s 4,256 if NBP hits counted. Pete felt tacking on additional hits is baloney. Rose states,
“Well, that’s bulls—. If you’re going to combine Ichiro’s Japanese hits, then combine my minor league hits. There’s another (427). I played in Japan a couple times. It’s not the same. I admire them. They play hard. They bust their ass. But I went over there one time for a 15-day tour, after the ’78 season. I hit in 14 straight. I never knew any of those pitchers, and I still got 14 games in a row. And Ichiro’s a good ballplayer, don’t get me wrong. But you don’t know if he’d have got 4,000 hits. It’s not my fault he played in Japan.”
Well, as history shows, when counting just MLB, Rose is still King. He is the Major League Baseball Career Batting Leader with 4256 hits. The next closest? Ty Cobbs (4189) and Hank Aaron (3771).
To put this into perspective, Aaron Judge in his ninth season is now in the 1,000 hits club. Shohei Ohtani in his seventh season has over 800 and steadily heading to 900. Rose played 24 seasons. Even if you triple their hits to come closer to the years Pete played; they’re still not coming close to Rose.
Pete truly was one of the greatest. He will be missed. Rest well legend.
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