Rose's Dubious Record

Ever wonder how Pete Rose managed to break Ty Cobb's hit record despite a much lower career average? Look no further than the single season plate appearance leaders. Rose is the only name to appear more than once among the top ten, and his appears four times! When the next player to repeat on the list, Ichiro Suzuki, shows up a second time tied for 16th all-time with 752 just last year, one of those he's tied with is--you guessed it--Pete Rose, listed for the fifth time. I guess something can be said for longevity and consistency, and staying healthy. But the guy wasn't even among the elite hitters of his generation! (Carew and Clemente, certainly, would rank as better hitters of his time). He just wore down that record by showing up at the plate 1870 more times (the equivalent of three full years) than any other player in history.