Pete Rose, who passed in 2024, and the White Sox don’t have much of a history.
That’s understandable because “Charlie Hustle” was a lifetime National Leaguer in the pre-interleague era.
However, there were a few instances where Pete and the “Pale Hose” crossed paths.
Here’s a look at Rose and the Sox …
*SPRING SPRINGBOARD: Best I can tell, Rose played his first spring training game against the White Sox.
On March 10, 1963, Rose doubled to start the 14th inning and later scored in the Reds’ 1-0 win in Tampa Bay in his Grapefruit League inaugural.
Here is how the Chicago Tribune reported it:
*MARATHON MAN: On April 5, 1966, Rose was the final out in the White Sox 2-1 win over the Reds in 17 innings in an exhibition game in Tampa.
Gene Freese made a lunging grab of Rose’s pop foul for the final out in the bottom of the frame as the Sox ended a Grapefruit League best 19-6.
*EXHIBITION POWER: On March 14, 1965, Rose’s two-run homer in the seventh inning off Manly Johnston was the difference in the Reds’ 5-4 Grapefruit League win over the White Sox in Tampa.
*ALL-STAR SHOWDOWN: Rose faced White Sox pitchers Rich “Goose” Gossage and Ed Farmer in the All-Star Game.
In 1975 in Milwaukee, Rose hit a sacrifice fly off Gossage in the ninth inning of the National League’s win. Rose’s fly scored Larry Bowa. The sac fly is the only one allowed by a Sox pitcher in the Mid-Summer Classic.
In 1980 in Los Angeles, Farmer got Rose to ground into a Willie Randolph-to-Robin Yount-to-Cecil Cooper double play to end the sixth inning of the National League’s 4-2 win.
This was one of seven double plays induced by Sox pitchers in an All-Star Game (Others: Wilbur Wood, Jack McDowell, Thornton Lee, Mark Buehrle, Tommy John, Ray Herbert).
The DP was Rose’s third in All-Star play which tied the all-time record (which still stands) also held by fellow Hall-of-Famers Joe DiMaggio and Orlando Cepeda.
*PLAYER-MANAGER: Rose had quite the game off a familiar foe of his the first time he faced the White Sox as the Reds’ player-manager.
It was also the last time Rose faced the Sox in spring training.
On April 4, 1985, Rose, in his first spring training game in his dual role, penciled himself in as the designated hitter against Tom Seaver, whom he faced 149 times in his career.
Batting second between Eric Davis and Dave Parker, the 43-year old Rose was 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a steal in the Reds’ 6-2 win at Payne Park in Sarasota, Fla. Seaver took the loss, giving up four runs on 10 hits with no walks and one strikeout in five innings.
By the way, Rose slashed .281/.329/.403 in 149 plate appearances against Seaver. Rose was struck out the most (20) by Seaver and fellow Hall-of-Famer Juan Marichal.
*HATED TO FACE: Rose slashed .200/.400/.400 with a home run, three RBI, five walks and three strikeouts in 20 plate appearances against Steve Stone.
*THE SON ALSO PLAYS…: On March 31, 1991 the Sox acquired Pete’s son, Pete Jr., from Baltimore for minor league pitcher Joe Borowski, whose 12-year MLB career featured an American League save title for Cleveland in 2007.
Rose Jr. hit .217 with 35 RBI in 99 games at the Sox Sarasota (A) affiliate in 1991. He also played in the Sox system from 1994 to 1996.
In 1995, Pete Jr. was a member of the White Sox replacement team in spring training. He was the starter in the team’s opener – a 4-3 win over the Royals before 1,504 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla.
In the 1995 regular season, Junior played for managed Terry Francona at the Sox Double-A Birmingham affiliate. This was the year after Michael Jordan played for Birmingham.
Francona and Pete Sr. were teammates in Montreal in 1983 and Francona played under Rose in 1987 when Rose managed the Reds.
Rose Jr. slashed .254/.336/.339 with eight homers and 137 RBI in 299 games in the Sox system.
*THE SON ALSO MANAGES: Pete Jr. was a managed in the Sox minor league system from 2011 to 2014 where he amassed a .346 winning percentage (153-193).
He guided Bristol of the Appalachian (Rookie) League in 2011 and 2012, Great Falls of the Pioneer (Rookie) League in 2013 and Kannapolis of the South Atlantic League (A) in 2014.
Among those he managed were Yolmer Sanchez, Chris Bassitt, Jake Petricka and Adam Engel.