CINCINNATI — Thousands of fans came to Great American Ball Park on Sunday despite the constant rain to pay tribute to Pete Rose, the hit leader in baseball history, who He died on September 30 at the age of 83..

The 14-hour visit, in honor of Rose’s jersey number, was organized by the Cincinnati Reds with the cooperation of Rose’s daughters, Fawn and Kara, who exchanged hugs, stories and even a few tears with fans.

“We wanted to do something like this,” said Rick Walls, executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame. “You could see from the turnout that it means a lot to the people here. It is a moving experience.”

Rose, known as Charlie Hustle for his unbridled passion for the game, was the driving force behind Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine clubs that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.

Rose, a switch-hitting 17-time All-Star, played in three World Series-winning games. He was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1973 and the World Series Most Valuable Player two years later. He holds the major league record for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890). But no milestone came close to his 4,256 hits, surpassing his hero Ty Cobb’s 4,191.

rose accepted a permanent ban from Major League Baseball in 1989 following an MLB investigation that determined he bet on Reds games from 1985 to 1987 while playing and managing the team. Two years later, the Hall of Fame excluded players on the permanent ineligible list from the Hall ballot.

Despite his indiscretions away from the diamond, fans arrived as early as 4 a.m. Sunday to honor Rose, slowly passing an urn containing his ashes and a table displaying his Hall of Fame induction suit jacket. of the bright red Reds and other memorabilia while a highlight video of his illustrious career was displayed on the concourse’s video boards.

Fans left flowers and other mementos at the Rose statue located just outside the stadium’s main entrance.

“He was a guy you thought was going to live forever,” said longtime Reds fan Bob Augspurger. “When I heard the news, I obviously felt sad. “Baseball lost its greatest ambassador.”

Fawn Rose said in a statement: “We are deeply moved by the overwhelming love and support from the people of Cincinnati, the entire baseball community and fans around the world as we mourn the loss of our beloved dad, grandfather and brother, Pete . Pink.”

The Reds plan to honor Rose on “Pete Rose Day” when they play the Chicago White Sox on May 14 with first pitch scheduled for 7:14 p.m., also in honor of his number 14.

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