Rose’s fall from grace was a bitter blow to baseball. The player known as “Charlie Hustle” was a legend with the most hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and outs (10,328). He won three World Series rings, plus the same number of batting titles, he was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1973, and he made 17 All-Star appearances across an incredible (and unmatched) five positions.
But Rose wilted in the face of accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing his beloved Cincinnati Reds. On Aug. 24, 1989, he voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list. With Rose’s acceptance that there was a factual reason for the ban, Major League Baseball agreed to make no formal finding regarding the gambling allegations. But the damage had been done. He will likely remain the greatest baseball talent never admitted to the Hall of Fame.