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Baseball legend Pete Rose died of natural causes, coroner finds

Rose, who notched an MLB-leading 4,256 career hits, received a ban from the league in 1989 for betting on baseball.
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Pete Rose, the legendary former Major League Baseball player and manager whose death made headlines on Monday, died of natural causes.

That's according to updated information from the Office of the Clark County Coroner/Medical Examiner released on Tuesday.

Rose was 83 when he died at his home on Sept. 30, 2024. County coroner Melanie Rouse determined Rose died from high blood pressure and heart disease. Diabetes was cited as a contributing factor in the coroner's findings.

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Rose spent most of his storied career with the Cincinnati Reds, but also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos. In that time he won three World Series titles, set records for number of games played, plate appearances and longest hitting streak in the National League and collected a league-leading 4,256 career hits.

But Rose received a ban from the MLB in 1989 for betting on baseball. The league said its investigation had found "extensive betting activity by Pete Rose in connection with professional baseball and, in particular, Cincinnati Reds games, during the 1985, 1986, and 1987 baseball seasons."

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The finding made Rose ineligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose denied the allegations against him and repeatedly petitioned to have his Hall of Fame eligibility reinstated. Then in 2004, he admitted to gambling during his time as a manager, but claimed he only bet on his Reds to win.

Rose had been a Las Vegas resident for about 10 years at the time of his death.

This story was originally published by Alyssa Roberts at Scripps News Las Vegas.