One of the most controversial moments in MLB All-Star Game history came in 1970 when Pete Rose barreled into catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run for the NL in Cincinnati. 45 years later, Fosse says his body still hurts from the collision.
“My body hurts. My shoulder still hurts,” Fosse told the AP. “There was not anybody at the time to say, ‘Don’t play.’ I continued. That’s something that I take with a lot of pride.”
X-rays did not show any injury, which is why Fosse continued to play after being crushed by Rose.
“They didn’t have the technology, I didn’t see any of it, as far as X-rays, no MRI, not really anything,” added Fosse. “Even though I was hurt and probably shouldn’t have played, there was no injury that actually showed. It just was internal. As it turned out it was a fractured, separated shoulder. Things were different then.”
Fosse’s numbers suffered a heavy dropoff after the shoulder injury. He only hit two home runs after the All-Star break, compared to 16 before it. Though he made the All-Star team the following season, he never came close to matching his production from the 1970 season again.
Fosse says he has pain and arthritis, bad shoulders, and has undergone multiple knee surgeries.
Rose has been criticized for injuring Fosse on the play but, as he has said, he plays the game the only way he knows how. Plus, Fosse was blocking the plate; how else was Rose supposed to get there?
“No. 1, I didn’t break the rules,” Rose said. “Two, I did not try to purposely hurt him. Three, I did not ruin his career. Four, I took him out to eat the night before the game.”
Rose definitely altered Fosse’s season, but to blame him for ruining the young catcher’s career is completely excessive. Below is video of the play:
H/T Eye on Baseball
