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Major League Baseball hit king Pete Rose died from heart disease, the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner in Nevada confirmed to TMZ Sports on Tuesday (October 1).
Rose, 83, was determined to have died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and was also battling diabetes mellitus, according to officials. The baseball legend's death was ruled as natural.
Rose holds the MLB record for hits (4,256), at-bats (14,053), plate appearances (15,890) and games played (3,562) during a 24-year career with the Cincinnati Reds (1963-78, 1984-86); Philadelphia Phillies (1979-83); and the then-Montreal Expos (1984). The Cincinnati native accepted a permanent ban prohibiting his Hall of Fame candidacy for gambling allegations while serving as the Reds' manager in 1989, publicly denying the allegations for years before finally admitting in 2004 that he'd bet on baseball and on the Reds.
"I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week," Rose said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show in 2007 via the Washington Post.
"I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team," he added. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game."
Rose was a three-time World Series champion, the 1975 World Series MVP, the 1973 National League MVP, the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, a 17-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove Award winner, a 1981 Silver Slugger Award winner, the 1976 Roberto Clemente Award winner and a three-time NL batting champion.