Archives: Pete Rose becomes baseball's hit king in 1985
On Sept. 11, 1985, Pete Rose recorded hit No. 4,195 at Riverfront Stadium.
That date is largely considered the day Rose surpassed Ty Cobb's all-time hits record to become baseball's hit king.
Rose collected the hit off San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show, driving the ball into left-center field. It's a record that has stood since 1985.
Photos: The legendary career of Pete Rose
But the date on which Rose broke Cobb's record has been in question for years.
Record-keeping in Cobb's era was not as accurate as it under today's standards, and the American League double-counted a two-game hit by Cobb, according to several baseball historians.
But Major League Baseball still recognized 4,191 as the official number.
Rose finished his career with 4,256 hits, with no real challenger in sight.
Rose died in September 2024 at the age of 83.