One of Pete Rose’s longtime teammates and closest friends opened up about the last time he was with the baseball great, which was one day before his death.
Tony Perez, who played 13 seasons with Rose for the Cincinnati Reds as part of the ‘Big Red Machine,’ was with Rose at the Music City Sports Collectibles and Autograph Show in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday, one day before Rose’s death at his Las Vegas home. Also, there were other members of Cincinnati’s star 1970s squad like Dave Concepcion, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.
Perez spoke to TMZ Sports about the last day together and said it wasn’t a good time because Rose didn’t seem like his usual self.
‘He wasn’t feeling that well, he didn’t look too good,’ Perez said. ‘He wasn’t a talker. He didn’t say much.’
The comments from Perez came one day after another former Reds teammate expressed his concern. Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench said during an appearance with ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ on Tuesday he missed seeing Rose at the collectible show, but he was worried about his health after hearing from those that saw him.
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‘The guys were very concerned about him on Sunday because they said he just wasn’t the same old Pete,’ Bench said. ‘It’s sad. It really is.’
The Baseball Hall of Famer Perez also said the last time he saw Rose prior to Sunday was at another card show about six months ago and he appeared to be in better condition than the one on Sunday. Perez also reminisced about his time playing with Rose and how he inspired every one on the team to play hard.
‘You see him play and you have to play the way he plays,’ Perez said. ‘When you didn’t run the ball out or run the base like you’re supposed to do, you’re going to look bad, because Pete, he was a machine. He never stopped, and he was gone. You have to play hard like he did.’
Rose died at the age of 83. MLB’s all-time hits leader died of hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to the Clark County (Nevada) Coroner’s Office.