Pete Rose made history, left lasting mark during brief stint with Expos

The late Pete Rose wasn't with the Expos for long, but his brief presence provided Montreal fans with a historic moment.

Rose was pronounced dead at 83 years old on Monday, with the cause of death yet to be determined.

He was a 17-time all-star, won National League MVP in 1973 and three World Series titles. Rose holds the major league record for hits (4,256), games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890).

He signed a one-year contract with the Expos for the 1984 season, his 22nd in Major League Baseball, after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

At 43 years old, Rose played 95 games in Montreal, collecting 72 hits and 23 runs batted in with a .259 batting average.

One of those hits, against Philadelphia on April 13, 1984, marked his 4,000th career hit, making him just the second player to reach the milestone alongside Ty Cobb.

"He came on the verge of his 4,000th hit, so it was a big deal and John McHale, who was the president and GM of the Expos understood what his presence would mean," said former Expos PR chief Richard Griffin. "He reported to spring training already a superstar.

"I think it's underestimated how big a clubhouse presence he was with his teammates. There's thoughts out there that he wasn't popular with teammates and wasn't a good guy. He was rough around the edges but he was so admired inside that clubhouse."

Rose was traded back to the Cincinnati Reds in August, becoming player-manager and replacing the fired Vern Rapp, in exchange for a minor leaguer.

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Rose spent the first 16 years in Cincinnati as a key cog in the Big Red Machine and returned to spend the final two-plus seasons of his playing career there.

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