On September 11, 1985, Cincinnati Reds player/manager Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s longstanding MLB career hits record by stroking a single to left-center field in the first inning of a game against the Padres. The hit came off San Diego starter Eric Show. The date also just happened to be the 57th anniversary of Ty Cobb's last game in the majors. The ‘85 season would be Rose’s second-to-last as a player.
Offered here is a pair of game-used Cincinnati Reds gray (road) pants that Rose wore from that record-breaking season. The size 34 pants reflect heavy game use with team repairs on the backs of both legs from rips that no doubt occurred while Rose was sliding. During the 85' campaign, Rose registered 107 hits with 46 runs batted in and eight stolen bases while playing in 119 games. The proper red Rawlings manufacturer's tagging can be found inside on the rear waistband along with a strip tag that lists the player's number (14), length (34.5), inseam (28.5) and year (85). A flag indicating the "Set 1 1985" is attached to the strip tag. The right rear pocket has its single button intact, but the left pocket is missing its button. Rose played in just 72 games the following season before turning his full attention to managing starting in 1987. This is an incredibly historic pair of baseball pants.
Photo-Match Info: All Star Game (AP 850715031), undated image (Getty 1007845022) and undated image at Wrigley Field (Getty 901415990).
While the image at Wrigley Field is undated, numerous characteristics lead us to conclude that Rose wore these pants to tie Ty Cobb's record of 4,191 hits on September 8th. In the photo-matched undated image, Rose is seen wearing two different batting gloves, one with black stripes and one with red. You will also see a large dirt stain on the right knee of the pants with a smaller dirt stain to the right. In Getty image 470396796, dated on September 8th when Rose tied Cobb's record, you will see the same exact dirt stains as the ones in the undated image. In Getty image 72123445 you will see the same two different gloves, and the image is dated "September of 1985".