Pete Rose/Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb

On this day in 1985, under a pink late-summer sky, Pete Rose collected his 4,192nd career hit to pass Ty Cobb and become MLB’s all-time hit leader. In the first inning of a 2–0 win over the Padres, Rose singled to left off Eric Show. In front of a hometown crowd—and his son Petey—he was brought to tears during a nearly nine-minute standing ovation.

This photo hung in my Papaw’s basement since I was two years old. When he passed in 1999, my grandma made sure it came to me. Back in 2020, I had plans to get it signed by Pete, but the signing was canceled due to COVID, and I never got the chance. Still, the piece carries so much meaning as it is—both for baseball history and for childhood memories.

E90-1 Honus Wagner and Honus E95 Ty Cobb