CINCINNATI — Pete Rose's family hosted a free public visitation on Sunday at Great American Ball Park and fans across the city came to pay their respect to Rose.

 “This rain is just tears from the city because we love Pete Rose. Pete Rose is not just a player, he was the city of Cincinnati,” Reds fan LaToya Bagley said. 

What You Need To Know

  • Pete Rose's family hosted a free public visitation on Sunday at Great American Ball Park

  • Rose died back in September at 83 years-old

  • Fans and loved ones shared fond memories of the MLB hit-king and said his legacy will last forever

“I grew up as a granddaddy’s girl. I remember watching and listening to the Reds on the radio, and we would sit there and clean the fish and greens and listen to the reds,” Bagley said.  

That’s the sentiment many fans carried into Great American Ball Park for the 14-hour public visitation for MLB’s hit-king Pete Rose. 

“It’s beautiful. The whole thing was beautiful. I’m just glad I got to show my respect for him,” Reds fan David Wright said.  

Reds Hall of Fame & Museum officials say that it was important to bring Pete home for this visitation to continue the healing process for those near and far. 

“His family is here and they’re meeting the fans. We’re going to make it a really special day for a lot of people,” Reds Hall of Fame & Museum Executive Director Rick Walls said. 

Rose passed away back in September at 83 years-old because of natural causes. In the days following, the Reds’ organization honored Rose with various tributes and officials said that there was still more to come. 

“That’s when May 14th came around. So next year there’s going to be a Pete Rose game with a lot of tributes. That’s a game you want to go to,” Walls said.  

Rose’s accolades include winning the award for MVP in 1973 and three World Series championships. He was banned from consideration for the National Hall of Fame because of his involvement in sports betting as a manager of the Reds in the 80s. 

Despite that, fans say #14 will live on forever.

“He’s somebody that’ll never go away, even 200 years down the line. This great team from Cincinnati will always be talking about him. There’s no doubt about it,” Bagley said. 

The family requested that no photos or videos be taken inside the visitation. 

Rose still holds the MLB record for most hits, totaling 4,256 hits.