Pete Rose Barrels Into Ray Fosse to Win the 1970 All-Star Game

On July 14, 1970, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds scored the winning run in the 12th inning of the All-Star Game by barreling into Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse at home plate, giving the National League a 5-4 victory at brand-new Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. The collision became one of the most replayed and debated plays in baseball history, and it altered the trajectory of Fosse's career.

The game had been tied 4-4 since the ninth inning. In the bottom of the 12th, Rose singled to center off California Angels pitcher Clyde Wright. Billy Grabarkewitz of the Dodgers followed with a single, advancing Rose to second. Jim Hickman of the Cubs then lined a hit to center field, where Kansas City's Amos Otis fielded the ball cleanly and threw home. The throw arrived at roughly the same time as Rose.

Fosse had moved up the third-base line to receive the throw and braced himself to block the plate. Rose, running at full speed, lowered his shoulder and crashed into the 23-year-old catcher. The impact sent Fosse spinning, and the ball jarred loose. Rose touched the plate, then jumped to his feet and celebrated with his teammates as the hometown crowd roared.

The collision separated and fractured Fosse's left shoulder, though the injury was not diagnosed until later. Fosse had been selected for his first All-Star team that season and was hitting .313 with 16 home runs at the break. He played through the injury for the rest of the season, but his production dropped sharply. He never replicated his first-half numbers from 1970, and he later said the collision affected him for the rest of his career.

Rose defended the play for the rest of his life, arguing that he played the game the only way he knew how. Critics pointed out that it was an exhibition game, with nothing at stake beyond bragging rights. The collision eventually contributed to MLB's adoption of rules protecting catchers at home plate, though those changes did not come until 2014.