Reds fans will have two chances to catch the pregame tributes to the late Pete Rose, the club鈥檚 greatest hitter who died last September, if they can鈥檛 attend Wednesday鈥檚 game against the Chicago White Sox.
In honor of Rose, who wore No. 14, the game on May 14 will start at 7:14 p.m. 鈥� instead of the usual first pitch for a night game at 6:40 p.m. or 7:10 p.m.
On-field according to the Reds website.
FanDuel Sports Network will expand its Reds Live pregame show to one hour. Starting at 6 p.m., the network 鈥渨ill cover the Reds鈥� festivities at Great American Ball Park as the team honors the life and career of the legendary 鈥楬it King鈥� in front of his hometown fans,鈥� says Kate Zelasko, FanDue Sports Network communications director.
Part of the special coverage will be Hall of Fame Reds radio announcer Marty Brennaman doing a question-and-answer session on the field with Reds greats George Foster, Ken Griffey Sr., Barry Larkin and Eric Davis sharing stories and memories about Pete.
Reds flagship radio station WLW-AM also will broadcast the on-field ceremony live at 6:30 p.m., says Dave Armbruster, sports operation director for iHeart Media Cincinnati.
Pete Rose Jr. will be among the guests when WLW-AM broadcasts the Eddie & Rocky Show from the Holy Grail 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, says Eddie Fingers. Rocky Boiman, Mo Egger and Fingers also will have several other guests, Fingers tells me.
The Reds announcement said the pregame events will include a video tribute by manager Terry Francona and others; a 14-second moment of silence; Rose family members delivering the game ball to the pitcher鈥檚 mound; and the National Anthem sung by 14 students from Western Hills High School, Rose鈥檚 alma mater.
During inning breaks, 鈥渋conic Pete Rose moments鈥� will be shown on the ball park video boards, says Michael Anderson, Reds public relations and photography director.
The Reds have said that 鈥渁ll fans in attendance will receive a #14 Pete Rose replica jersey featuring a commemorative 鈥楶ete Rose Night鈥� patch,鈥� the team announced.
From the release: 鈥淎dult size XL will be given to fans at ball park gates. XL jerseys can be exchanged for Adult M or Adult 2XL at exchange tables near Gapper鈥檚 Alley (Terrace Level behind section 120) and the First Star Fan Zone, while supplies last.鈥�
On Nov. 10 last year, Pete鈥檚 daughter Fawn and other family members hosted a 14-hour visitation at Great American Ball Park which was attended by thousands. Baseball鈥檚 all-time hits leader died of natural causes Sept. 30 last year, in Las Vegas. He was 83.
Born Peter Edward Rose on April 14, 1941, in Cincinnati, he played 24 seasons in the Major Leagues, including 19 for the Reds. He was the National League Rookie of the Year for the Reds in 1963 and the Most Valuable Player in 1973, when he led the National League with a .338 batting average and 230 hits. He also won NL batting titles in 1968 (.335) and 1969 (.348).
After graduating from Western Hills High School, Rose in 1960, according to MLB.com. He debuted with the Reds at age 21 on Opening Day 1963.
Rose, dubbed 鈥淐harlie Hustle鈥� for running to first base on walks, played in four World Series in the 1970s as part of the Reds鈥� Big Red Machine 鈥� in 1970, 1972, 1975 and 1976. In five seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies (1979-83) he played in two more World Series, 1980 and 1983.
After starting the 1984 season with the old Montreal Expos, Rose was traded to his hometown club on Aug. 16, 1984, to become Reds player-manager. In his second stint in Cincinnati, he broke Ty Cobb鈥檚 all-time hit record with a single to left field on Sept. 11, 1985, and retired as a player in 1986 with 4,256 hits.
He also holds the Major League Baseball record for playing the most games (3,562), plate appearances (15,890) and at-bats (14,053). Rose also holds the Reds鈥� record for games played (2,722), plate appearances (12,344), runs (1,741), hits (3,358), singles (2,490), doubles (601) and walks (1,210).
Rose was a National League All-Star 17 times at six different positions: first, second and third base, and left, center and right fields.
In 1989, Rose accepted a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball for betting on baseball while managing the Reds. He was placed on the permanently ineligible list by Commissioner Bart Giamatti. Subsequently, the Baseball Writers鈥� Association of America ruled that anyone permanently banned from the game was ineligible to be on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
Rose served five months in a federal prison in 1990 after pleading guilty to tax evasion for not reporting his earnings from gambling, personal appearances and memorabilia sales.
Two months ago, President Donald Trump announced on March 3 on social media that he would issue 鈥� over the next few weeks.鈥� But that has not happened. Trump also has not explained why he didn鈥檛 pardon Rose during his first term as president.
reported in The Athletic that 鈥淢ajor League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is reviewing a request for Pete Rose to be removed from MLB鈥檚 permanently ineligible list, which could lead to his eventual selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame鈥�. Manfred met with Rose鈥檚 daughter, Fawn, and his former lawyer Jeffrey Lenkov about reinstatement in December. A formal petition was submitted on Jan. 8. 2025.鈥�
