Eric Show gave up Pete Rose's 4,192nd hit 30 years ago

Today is the thirtieth anniversary of Pete Rose surpassing Ty Cobb to become what he likes to sign on baseballs, "Hit King". Anytime I hear about that event, all I think of is Eric Show taking a seat on the mound while the hug-fest played out, and all the hubbub that surrounded that. I checked YouTube for a clip and was pleasantly surprised to find that the MLB digital overlords allowed the entire game to be on there.

I only made it through the first forty minutes because people won't stop calling and walking in the front door. Man, that bell is loud. If these people knew how hungover I am, they'd just save their problems for Monday.

BUT I DIGRESS.

There's a nice little interview with Steve Garvey that begins at the 9:30 mark and lasts through 12:50. In it he talks about also being on the field when Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth. He speaks highly of Rose, saying "We hope Pete gets a hit, gets stranded, and we win the game," going on to add that it's essentially a nice distraction from the Pittsburgh (cocaine) trials.

Rose's first at-bat begins at 26:26, and he gets his single at 27:50. The first image and mention of Show sitting down on the mound came at exactly the half-hour mark and neither announcer shamed him for it. But everyone certainly made up for that in the days following and actually for the rest of Show's life.