Although Pete Rose had carved out a name for himself as one of the most scrappiest clutch players in the game, it wasn’t until he signed with Phillies that his true worth to a ball club was fully appreciated. Before Rose suited up in Phillies powder blue, the team had won the NL East three years in a row, but lacked that final piece to push them to the World Series. In 1980, they discovered that missing piece was Peter Edward Rose. His leadership and clutch hitting brought a World Championship to the City of Brotherly Love in just his second summer with the club.

This classic 80’s uniform set was worn by the Hit King during his 1982 season in Philly during which he collected his 3,772st hit to pass Hall of Famer Hank Aaron on the career hit leader’s list. The powder blue zipper front road jersey has the Phillies “P” logo on the left chest and Rose’s feared “14” on the right in red and white tackle twill. The 17-time All-Star has signed just below the “P” in black marker. A faded Wilson tag is located in the lower left front tail and a blue strip tag has “82 1” chain stitched in black. The collar has a blue strip tag with “Rose” chain stitched in black. Both the inside collar and zippered placket have been trimmed in blue polyester for comfort. The shoulder is trimmed in red and white ribbing and the back has a blue nameplate with “ROSE” and his number “14” below in red and white tackle twill. Rose has signed the back of the jersey below the numbers in black marker. As you’d expect from the hardest workingman in baseball, Rose’s jersey shows awesome game use. There are numerous turf stains and abrasion marks throughout, silent testimony to the hard-nose style of play that Rose brought to every game. The zipper is present and working and the fabric shows some piling and snags. The tackle twill graphics have some loose threads present and there is overall toning from age and laundering.

The matching powder blue pants feature red and white ribbing down each leg and the waistband has a Wilson label with size “33” chain stitched in black. A blue strip tag with “Rose 82 1 281/2” in black chain stitching is sewn adjacent to the Wilson label. Like the jersey, the pants show great Pete Rose wear, with turf marks on the thighs and seat. The original plastic pocket buttons are present as are the waistband zipper and button. An eye-catching uniform set dating from Pete’s short but sweet Philadelphia sojourn. The uniform set comes with a LOA from  Mears, who have graded this uniform set a perfect A10 and a LOA from JSA for the signatures.

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