Pete Rose, Jr., son of the career hits leader, Pete Rose came to Regency Furniture Stadium with the Long Island Ducks to play ball. He came to play baseball just as he has for the past 19 years – in the minor leagues. Young Rose, nicknamed PJ by fellow teammates, never enjoyed the fame, fortune, and, however difficult, notoriety of his famous father.
Rose, Jr. managed a brief stint in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997, but spent most of that time riding the pine and enduring heckling from fans because of his disgraced father. Rose, Sr. was banned from baseball for life for gambling on his own team. Iconic as Rose, Sr. was, son PJ could never escape the shadow or the tarnish that followed the Rose name wherever he went.
There are those that would sum up the career minor leaguer’s career as mediocre at best. While his father was breaking baseball records and leading his team to victory, Rose, Jr., was often shown on national television as a bat-boy for his father’s teams.
In 1982, when he was just twelve, Rose Jr. appeared on a 1982 Fleer baseball card (#640) titled “Pete & Re-Pete; Pete Rose & son.” In 1985, when his father broke Ty Cobb’s record for most career hits, Rose, Jr. appeared on-field live on national television to celebrate with his dad.
After 19 years in the minor leagues, the ballplayer is content to play ball and let history take care of itself.