CINCINNATI -- Pete Rose was a larger-than-life baseball star during his playing career. But he belonged to Cincinnati.
It's where Rose was born, where he played for most of his 24 seasons and also managed. On Wednesday, before the Reds lost to the White Sox, 4-2, in front of a sold-out crowd at Great American Ball Park, the club held Pete Rose Night. It gave fans a chance to remember the life and career of baseball's all-time hits leader who died on Sept. 30 at the age of 83.
“He played baseball with as much passion and competitive enjoyment as you ever could. You wanted to be on his team," said Reds manager Terry Francona, who played with Rose in Montreal in 1984 and for him in Cincinnati in 1987. "I’m honored I can be here.”
During a career that spanned from 1963-86 with the Reds, Phillies, Expos and back with the Reds again, Rose amassed a record 4,256 hits.
“When you look back at his career, no one will ever touch that record," said Reds reliever Brent Suter, who grew up in Cincinnati. "It’s something that I feel like every Cincinnatian who is a baseball fan of any slight of degree takes that record with pride. That’s one of ours. It’s amazing. It’ll never be touched and he will never be forgotten.”
Rose was the 1963 National League Rookie of the Year, the 1973 NL Most Valuable Player and a winner of three batting titles and two Gold Gloves. He also made 17 All-Star Game appearances and was named a member of MLB’s All-Century team in 1999.
A member of the Big Red Machine dynasty of the 1970s, Rose was part of the back-to-back World Series champions in 1975-76 and he also won a third championship with Philadelphia in 1980.
Suter regretted never getting to meet Rose but his father, Mike, met him a few times and certainly followed his career closely like many baseball fans.
“My dad used to tell me all the stories of how hard he played all the time, never took a play off, always was running hard 90’s, getting dirty every game,” Suter said. "He went to bat almost 16,000 times. This was a guy who just embodied toughness, grit. Tito has been telling me stories of how good a teammate he was too. Just combined, he was just an absolute force to be reckoned with, a legend in this game.”
That legend was remembered in a variety of ways. Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman served as the emcee for a Rose Q&A with Reds greats George Foster, Eric Davis and Barry Larkin. All shared their favorite memories.
“The thing that he did for me … he moved from left field to third base so I would have the opportunity to play every day," Foster told the crowd. "From then on, the Big Red Machine started to roll. We won like 41 out of 50 games after myself and Ken Griffey Sr. got into the lineup. But if Pete didn’t want to move to third base, that never would have happened.”
Rose wore No. 14 throughout his career, a number the Reds retired in 2016. It loomed large throughout the day. Reds players wore T-shirts with 14 on the front during batting practice. A 14-second moment of silence was held for Rose and 14 students from Western Hills High School, Pete Rose’s alma mater, sang the national anthem. First pitch was scheduled for 7:14 p.m. ET.
Members of Rose's family -- including sons Pete Jr. and Tyler, daughters Fawn and Cara and several grandchildren were seated on the field for the tributes. They served as honorary captains.
"I’m so happy to be here as is the rest of my family," Fawn Rose told fans. “This is really for you all. You are extended family. Everyone who knows him, who he’s touched before, I appreciate each and every one of you. My entire family appreciates each and every one of you for coming here tonight like a World Series sellout to celebrate Charlie Hustle, the Hit King, our Dad … Pete Rose.”
Most of the current Reds roster, and Francona with his coaches, watched the ceremony from the top step of the dugout.
Tuesday's announcement by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred that Rose was among 17 deceased players granted removal from baseball’s permanently ineligible list added another dimension to the festivities on Wednesday. It was Fawn Rose who personally petitioned Manfred for reinstatement during a meeting not long after her father's death.
Rose was placed on the permanently ineligible list in 1989 by then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for betting on Major League games. His ineligible status prohibited him to be employed by a club, and in 1991, the Hall of Fame made a decision to make the ineligible list part of its criteria.
Tuesday's decision means Rose is eligible for election to the Hall of Fame when its Classic Baseball Era Committee -- which evaluates candidates who made their greatest impact on the game prior to 1980 -- can vote when it meets next in December 2027. Although election is no guarantee, the earliest Rose could be enshrined in Cooperstown is the summer of 2028.
“I know I oversimplify things. But what Pete did as a player, if he’s not in, there’s no Hall of Fame," Francona said. "But I get it. There’s some things that happened. I’m glad I don’t have to make the decisions.”
After the ceremony was completed, Pete Rose Jr. was appreciative of the evening and what it meant to everyone.
“It was awesome," Rose Jr. said. "It’s home. These are all friends and family. I drove 15 minutes from home to get to the ballpark. I will drive 15 minutes back. I try to explain to people, they don’t really get the aspect of Dad being here. I try to tell them he’s our Babe Ruth. If you’re from here, he’s our Babe Ruth.
“We’re at a ballpark. We’re Roses. We couldn’t ask for a better night.”