On April 14, 1941, Peter Edward Rose, Major League Baseball's all-time hit king, was born in Cincinnati.

He grew up in the west side neighborhood then known as Anderson Ferry and played baseball and football at Western Hills High School.

He signed with the Reds right after graduation and began playing in the minor leagues. Invited to spring training in 1963, he became a regular second baseman for the season and hit .273. The National League named him Rookie of the Year.

Dubbed "Charlie Hustle" because he ran to base when he received a walk, Rose consistently batted over .300 between 1965 and 1973. He was an important part of the "Big Red Machine" of the 1970s that won two World Series Championships.

Rose was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1975 and named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

He played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1978 to 1983 and led that team to the World Series in 1980. He returned to the Reds in 1984 in the capacity of player and manager.

On Sept. 11, 1985, he set the major league record of 4,192 hits by breaking Ty Cobb's mark. When he retired in 1986, he had 4,256 hits.

Rose's name was tarnished by allegations that he bet on baseball. Commissioner Bart Giamatti banned him from baseball for life in 1989. A year later, Rose was sentenced to time in prison for filing false tax returns.

Rose has never been reinstated and remains out of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

- Rebecca Goodman

Contact: rgoodman@enquirer.com or (513) 768-8361.