It’s a round ball and a round bat, and you got to hit it square.

Rose’s line distills hitting—a skill often mystified by talk of instincts, psychology, or “seeing the ball”—into a blunt piece of geometry and execution. A baseball and bat are both round, so the margin for error is small: to drive the ball well, the hitter must deliver the barrel to the ball at the right moment and angle, producing “square” contact. The quote also reflects Rose’s public persona as a workmanlike, fundamentals-first player: success comes less from theory than from repeating simple mechanics under pressure. More broadly, it’s a metaphor for many crafts—complex outcomes can hinge on mastering a few basic, unforgiving constraints.