A question about Pete Rose Records

[Metaphorical]

2. Plate appearances include at-bats

A "plate appearance" refers to any time a batter comes to the plate and completes a turn at bat, including walks, hit-by-pitches, and sacrifice hits, while an "at bat" only counts when a batter is put out or reaches base via a hit, fielder's choice, or error, excluding walks and sacrifice plays; essentially, a plate appearance is a broader category that includes all at-bats, but not all plate appearances are considered at-bats.

In some cases, a pitcher may decide to deliberately walk a good batter. For instance - it's two outs, there are men on second and third, a powerhouse hitter comes up to bat, and a weaker batter is behind him in the rotation. The pitcher will deliberately signal to both the batter and the catcher that they are going to give him a deliberate walk, hoping that he could then force the follow-on batter to pop out. It happens often enough that this is not considered an at-bat.