Pete Rose was a legend on the field. As baseball's Hit King, he shattered a number of hitting records that may never be broken. And during the 1970s, he was the leader of the Big Red Machine, the Cincinnati Reds teams that dominated the game. But he's also the greatest player who may never make the Hall of Fame because of his lifetime ban from the sport. Perhaps no other athlete's story is so representative of the triumphs and tragedies of our national pastime. In Play Hungry, Rose tells us the story of how through hard work, hustle, and sheer will he became one of the unlikeliest stars of the game. Guided by the dad he idolized, a local sports hero with the spirit of a champion, Pete had an All-American boyhood. But even with the coaching of his father on how to compete and play baseball the right way, Pete was cut from his team as a teenager--he wasn't a natural. By the time scouts were coming to his high school games, he wasn't even considered the best player on the team. Rose was determined, though, and never would be satisfied with anything less than success. His relentless hustle and headfirst style would help him overcome his natural shortcomings, leading to a storied career including the Rookie of the Year Award, three batting titles, and the MVP Award. Play Hungry is Pete Rose's love letter to the game, and an inside story of life on the diamond.