Editing Pete Rose (section)

====Early years====
In an April 23, [[1964 Cincinnati Reds season|1964]], road contest against the [[Houston Colt .45's]], Rose reached first base on an error in the top of the ninth inning of a scoreless game and scored on another error. The Colt .45s lost the game in the bottom of the ninth inning,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU196404230.shtml|title=Cincinnati Reds 1, Houston Colt .45's 0|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|location=[[Colt Stadium]]|date=April 23, 1964}}</ref> and [[Ken Johnson (right-handed pitcher)|Ken Johnson]] became the first major league pitcher to lose a [[complete game]] [[no-hitter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-23-1964-ken-johnson-pitches-a-no-hitter-for-houston-and-loses-the-game-to-reds/|last=Schmitt|first=Steven|title=April 23, 1964: Ken Johnson pitches a no-hitter for Houston … and loses the game to Reds|website=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]}}</ref>

Rose slumped late in the season and was benched; he finished with a .269 average. In order to improve his batting, Rose played in the [[Venezuelan Winter League]] with [[Leones del Caracas]] during the 1964–1965 offseason. Rose came back to the Reds in [[1965 Cincinnati Reds season|1965]], leading the league in hits (209) and at-bats (670), and finishing sixth in NL MVP balloting.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1965.shtml#all_NL_MVP_voting|title=1965 Awards Voting|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> It was the first of his ten seasons with 200-plus hits, and his .312 batting average was the first of nine consecutive .300 seasons. He hit a career-high sixteen home runs in [[1966 Cincinnati Reds season|1966]], then switched positions from second base to [[right fielder|right field]] the following year.

In [[1968 Cincinnati Reds season|1968]], Rose started the season with a 22-game [[hitting streak]], missed three weeks (including the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]]) with a broken thumb, then had a 19-game hitting streak late in the season. He had to finish the season 6-for-9 to beat out the Pirates' [[Matty Alou]] and win the first of two close NL batting-title races with a .335 average. He finished second to [[St. Louis Cardinals]] [[pitcher]] [[Bob Gibson]] for the NL MVP award, earning six first place votes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1968.shtml#all_NL_MVP_voting|title=1968 Awards Voting|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

The [[1969 Cincinnati Reds season|following year]], Rose set a career-high in batting (.348) and tied his career-best sixteen homers. As the Reds' leadoff man, he had 218 hits, walking 88 times and pacing the league in runs with 120. He hit 33 doubles and 11 triples, drove in 82 runs, [[slugging percentage|slugged]] .512 (by far the highest mark of his long career), and had a .432 [[on-base percentage|OBP]] (also a career best). Despite Pittsburgh's [[Roberto Clemente]] going 3-for-4 in the final game, Rose's 1-for-4 was good enough for the title; Rose finished .348; Clemente .345.