August 1, 1978: Pete Rose’s National League record 44-game hittng streak comes to an end as Rose goes 0-4 in a 16-4 Reds loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Rose walked and scored in the first inning off Braves starter Larry McWilliams, the only time Rose reached base in the game. He lined out to McWilliams in the second and grounded out to shortstop in the fifth. Rose lined into a double play off reliever Gene Garber in the seventh, and struck out against Garber to end the game in the ninth. Garber finished the game strongly, retiring the last seven batters he faced and striking out the side in the ninth inning.
The Reds spotted starting pitcher Fred Norman three runs in the top of the first inning, but Norman didn’t make it past the first four Braves batters of the game. Norman gave up two doubles followed by two singles, and Reds manager Sparky Anderson pulled him in favor of reliever Pedro Borbon with the Reds leading 3-2. The Braves blew the game open in the bottom of the fifth when they scored five times off Borbon, giving them an 8-3 lead. The Braves scored three more times in the seventh off Manny Sarmiento, and five times in the eighth off Dave Tomlin to secure the 16-4 victory. The Braves struck Reds pitching for 21 hits, including three home runs and five doubles. Dave Concepcion and Johnny Bench homered for the Reds.
Rose’s hitting streak is the National League record and the second longest streak in Major League history behind Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak. During the streak Rose goes 70-182, an average of .385. Rose’s average increased from .267 to .316 on July 31st during the streak. The day after Rose’s streak ends, he connects for four hits, including a home run, against the Braves. Rose ended the season batting .302.
Rose owns a nearly countless set of baseball records. He holds the major league record for games played (3562), at bats (14,035), hits (4256), and singles (3215). He has he most rbi (1314) of any player to never reach 100 rbi in a season (personal high of 82 in 1969). From baseball-reference.com here’s a list of Rose achievements:
1963 NL Rookie of the Year Award
1963 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
17-time NL All-Star (1965, 1967-1971, 1973-1982 & 1985)
NL MVP: 1973
1975 World Series MVP
2-time NL Gold Glove Winner (1969/OF & 1970/OF)
NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1981/1B)
3-time NL Batting Average Leader (1968, 1969 & 1973)
2-time NL On-Base Percentage Leader (1968 & 1979)
4-time NL At-Bats Leader (1965, 1972, 1973 & 1977)
4-time NL Runs Scored Leader (1969, 1974, 1975 & 1976)
7-time NL Hits Leader (1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976 & 1981)
3-time NL Singles Leader (1973, 1979 & 1981)
5-time NL Doubles Leader (1974, 1975, 1976, 1978 & 1980)
100 Runs Scored Seasons: 10 (1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972-1976 & 1978)
200 Hits Seasons: 10 (1965, 1966, 1968-1970, 1973, 1975-1977 & 1979)
Won three World Series with the Cincinnati Reds (1975 & 1976) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1980)
Oh, wait, that’s not all. Also from the bullpen section of baseball-reference.com, here’s a list of records held by Rose:
Games, career, organized baseball, 3,916
Games, career, 3,562
Games, switch hitter, career, 3,562
At bats, career, 14,053
At bats, switch hitter, career, 14,053
Hits, career, organized baseball, 4,683
Hits, career, 4,256
Hits, switch hitter, career, 4,256
Hits, switch hitter, season, 230, 1973 (tied)
Runs, switch hitter, career, 2,165
Singles, career, 3,215
Singles, switch hitter, career, 3,215
Doubles, switch hitter, career, 746
Outs, career, 10,328
Outs, switch hitter, career, 10,328
Plate appearances, career, 15,890
Plate appearances, switch hitter, career, 15,890
Times reached base, career, 5,929
Times reached base, switch hitter, career, 5,929
Total bases, switch hitter, career, 5,727
Seasons with 150 or more games, 17
Seasons with 100 or more games, 23 (consecutive)
Oh, as for the all-star game appearances, they came at multiple positions: 2b, LF, RF, 3b, and 1b. His career batting average is .303 with a career OPS of .784. His postseason career batting average is .321 with a career postseason OPS of .828. He was the last player-manager in the major leagues, having managed the Reds from 1984-89. His record as manager was 412-373, finishing second in four straight seasons from 1985-88. The Hardball Times lists his career total of 547 Win Shares as the 14th greatest total of all time. His career Win Share totals places him ahead of Rickey Henderson, Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, and Lou Gehrig. He placed in the top five in the National League in Win Shares per season in 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1976.
And, I didn’t know this until now, but I shouldn’t have been surprised that Rose has his own website. For more on Pete Rose, just check out about any historical book on the Cincinnati Reds or major league baseball in general.