Disgraced former Phillie Pete Rose trashes Joey Gallo, Yankees

Former Phillies champ Pete Rose calls out Joey Gallo, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton after Wild Card loss

Pete Rose, who played for the Philadelphia Phillies during the legendary career that he ruined by betting on baseball, had some choice words for the New York Yankees after their brief foray into the postseason.

Rose criticized the Yankees’ Wild Card lineup, calling it “the worst f***ing lineup they could have put on the field.” He also named Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton as two hitters who needed to “do something,” though Stanton did hit a ninth-inning solo home run off former Yankees pitching prospect Garrett Whitlock.

But it was Joey Gallo, in particular, who drew Rose’s ire:

"“How does someone who didn’t play every day strike out 213 times? Ray Charles wouldn’t strike out that much. I just can’t imagine striking out 213 times without killing myself.”"

In the Wild Card game, Gallo went 0-for-4 and the Yankees lost 6-2 to the ALCS-bound Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees acquired Gallo from the Texas Rangers at the deadline. His 213 regular-season strikeouts led MLB in 2021, and he was one of only two players with more than 200 strikeouts. Rose never struck out more than 76 times in a single season in his 24-year career, but that was a different era.

Pete Rose admitted to having sexual relationships with underage girls during his MLB career

Rose, who is unironically launching a sports betting podcast, is a polarizing figure. He was found to have bet on baseball during his career and subsequently given a lifetime ban that also precludes him from entrance into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Worse still, Rose was accused of having sexual relationships with underage girls as young as 12 years old in the 1970s, which is statutory rape. He was 34 and married with children at the time. Rose admitted to having a sexual relationship with one girl but said he thought she was 16 at the time, the legal age of consent in Ohio.

That Rose is known more today for his misdeeds than his baseball prowess is a disaster of his own making. Even his choice of analogy, mocking a blind man, and the way he makes light of suicide, remind us that he is without a moral compass.

The Yankees might not be winners, but neither is Rose.