SURE TO BE A HIT

Pete Rose to offer instruction, advice to young players at Hit King Academy in Katy today

Pete Rose to offer instruction, advice to young players at Hit King Academy in Katy today
Pete Rose is one of the all-time great hitters. Getty Images

Baseball kids in the Houston area can get batting tips tonight from a former big leaguer who, let's say, knocked a few hits in his time.
Well, more than a few.

Actually, more than anybody in the history of baseball.

Pete Rose has more hit records than the Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift combined. Like a game of pickle, here's the rundown:

Most hits (4,256). Most singles (3,215). Most games played (3,562). Most at bats (14,053). Seventeen All-Star Games. Three batting titles. Two Gold Gloves. One MVP. And a partridge …

Rose will set up shop in the batting cage at his “Hit King Academy” on Clay Road in Katy and give individual pointers to players. There will be two sessions: 4:30 – 6 p.m. for ages 8-13, and 7 – 8:30 p.m. for 14 and older. Both sessions will include question-and-answer time and autographs for players and their parents.

The price is $50 per player, with half-off for additional siblings. To register, email plamarr@hitkingbaseball.com or click on hitkingbaseball.com for more information.

I spent some time “talking baseball” with Rose on Sunday night. I asked what was his motivation for putting on this clinic and opening the Hit King Baseball facility.

“I’m doing this simply because I watch two or three games a day. I’m tired of seeing guys play fundamentally unsound baseball,” Rose said. “We’ve got to teach these kids, at a very early age, the right way to play the game of baseball. If you play the right way, you’ve got a better chance of winning.

“Our academy is all about winning. If the guy is a home run hitter, I’m not going to take that away from him. If the guy is a singles hitter, we’re not to change that, either. But they must learn that the more times they put the ball in play, the better their chances are of getting on base. The more times they’re on base, the better their chances are of scoring runs. It all leads to winning games.

“The big thing about me is, my first year in the minors, we won the championship. My second year, we won the championship. When I got the to the big leagues, I expected to win the championship. That’s the way I was raised. Winning and being positive are good habits, just like losing and being negative are bad habits.”

Think fantasy camp for kids: one-on-one batting instruction from the legend who did it better – certainly more - than anybody. Ever. Whatever troubles and self-inflicted scandals followed him, Rose undeniably is the Hit King. As humorist James Thurber - or maybe it was Yogi Berra - said, "you could look it up."

I didn't meet a pro baseball player until I was an adult. I played third base in charity softball game in Phoenix. The left fielder was former New York Met Ron Swoboda. I thought he broke my hand when he gunned down a runner trying to stretch a double into a triple. I asked Rose, who was the first big leaguer you met?

“I was raised three miles from Crosley Field (home of the Cincinnati Reds from 1912 to 1970). The big weekends for me and my family was when the Brooklyn Dodgers came to town. Don Zimmer, one of the Dodgers, grew up in Cincinnati. He even had some of the same Little League coaches as me,” Rose said.

“In those days, the visitors’ clubhouse was in a separate building behind the stadium. When I was a kid, maybe 8 or 9 years old, I'd wait outside the clubhouse for Don Zimmer to come out. Even though I was a Reds fan, and Ted Kluzewski was my favorite player, Don Zimmer was the first Major Leaguer I met. Not only did Don talk to me, he introduced me to Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella and the other Dodger greats. That was pretty cool and I've never forgotten it."

The Pete Rose Hit King Academy enters its second year in midst of heavy construction and expansion plans in Katy.

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The offense faces a tough challenge against Phillies starter Zack Wheeler. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place clubs riding identical hot streaks meet again Wednesday night as the Houston Astros host the Philadelphia Phillies in a marquee midseason showdown.

The Astros, winners of six straight at home, enter with a 46-33 record and a firm grip on the AL West. They've surged behind strong pitching and timely hitting, outscoring opponents by 10 runs over their last 10 games while posting a 3.40 team ERA. Mauricio Dubón has been a spark during that stretch, slugging four homers in his last 10 games, while Isaac Paredes continues to anchor the lineup with a team-high 16 home runs.

They’ll hand the ball to rookie left-hander Colton Gordon, who brings a 2-1 record and 4.54 ERA into his eighth start of the season. Gordon has shown flashes of potential but will face perhaps his toughest test yet against a Phillies lineup loaded with talent and plate discipline.

Philadelphia, 47-32 and sitting atop the NL East, has the third-best on-base percentage in baseball (.331) and no signs of slowing. They've gone 7-3 in their last 10 games, outscoring opponents by 15 runs and batting .267 during that stretch. Trea Turner has begun to heat up, going 12-for-42 in his last 10 contests, while Nick Castellanos remains a consistent threat with 21 doubles and 41 RBIs on the year.

The Phillies will counter with ace Zack Wheeler, who enters with dominant numbers: a 7-2 record, 2.61 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 118 strikeouts. Wheeler’s command and swing-and-miss stuff have been a constant all season, and the Astros will have to work for every base runner.

This is the second meeting between the two clubs this season, with the Astros winning the first contest, 1-0. With both teams trending upward, it has all the makings of another tight, low-scoring battle. The betting line favors Philadelphia (-160), with the over/under set at 7.5 runs — a reflection of the elite pitching expected on both sides.

First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. EDT at Daikin Park.

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