Pete Rose remembered in Cincinnati for first time in-season since his passing

Rose's lifetime ban lifted by Major League Baseball the day before the game

CINCINNATI, Oh. (ABC36 NEWS NOW)- Pete Rose’s chances of being in the Hall of Fame are up in the air, but what’s not is the love shown to him and his family by Cincinnati on Wednesday night.

Officials at Great American Ball Park were prepared for a standing room only crowd with over 40,000 Pete Rose jerseys, that the team was giving away for free, stocked at the entrances.

On the field, club legends and the Rose family held a touching tribute to their beloved Pete. A 14 second moment of silence, National Anthem rendition from the choir from Rose’s high school alma mater and passionate remarks from his family were a few of the spectacles at the ballpark.

Lexington native and former Reds player, Doug Flynn, shared what Rose meant to him as a young player coming up on the Big Red Machine.

“Pete introduced me to wife,” said Flynn. “Here’s a guy who was more than just a ball player to his family and friends. I loved Pete. He taught me a lot about a lot of things. Pete was like Elvis. If he went to his house to visit him he’d give you something. It’s the little things he did that we remember him for.”

Flynn, George Foster, Ken Griffey Sr., Eric Davis and Barry Larkin were some of the former Reds players who told stories about their friend.

Larkin recalled using Rose’s personal bat and cleats in his first start for the Reds since all of his luggage wasn’t able to make it to the ballpark with him from a cross-country flight. Griffey and Rose also shared a close bond because the pair were both from the Queen City.

“He talked to me about the responsibilities of being a Cincinnatian and representing the team,” said Larkin. “He talked to me about how to handle myself in the public in Cincinnati. So it was a personal, fatherlike relationship.”

Pete’s daughter, Fawn Rose, spoke about the ban on her father being lifted the day before a night in his honor. In a few years, there’s a possibility that her father will be eligible for the Hall of Fame.

“I wanted to stand here and announce to everyone that the ban had been lifted, but I’m so happy we could celebrate that tonight,” said Rose.