Former MLB broadcaster remembers legend of Pete Rose after his death: ‘He was the man’

The baseball world is reeling from the loss of Major League Baseball’s hit king, Pete Rose, who died at age 83 this week. 

Marty Brennaman, the father of former MLB broadcaster Thom Brennaman, was the announcer for the Cincinnati Reds while Rose was on the team.

Thom joined OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me With Dan Dakich” to discuss the legend of Rose and the relationship between his father and Rose. 

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Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose is introduced during a pregame ceremony for the unveiling of Rose’s statue outside Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on June 17, 2017. (IMAGN)

“My dad’s having a really hard time. (Marty Brennaman) broadcasted the team for 47 years. In fact, he has not gone on any shows like this or done any interviews since finding out the news last night; and I talked to him, and he said, ‘You know, my two best friends in baseball have died in the last two years, in Joe Morgan and Pete Rose,” Thom Brennaman said.

“I mean, those three guys were inseparable for years and even now talked all the time on the phone and got together a number of times a year. Joe was here so frequently because he was still working with the Reds franchise, and Pete’s in town all the time, was in town all the time. And so [Marty] is really having a tough go of it, and boy is he going to be missed,” Thom continued.

Marty Brennaman joined the Cincinnati Reds radio broadcast in 1974 and stayed in the role until he retired after the 2019 season.

PETE ROSE, MLB’S POLARIZING ALL-TIME HITS LEADER, DEAD AT 83

A fan wearing a Pete Rose jersey places two white roses and two red roses next to the statue of Pete Rose at the entrance of Great American Ballpark on Oct. 1, 2024. (IMAGN)

Marty was on the call for Rose’s record-breaking 4,192nd career hit in 1985. Thom Brennaman took a moment to remember Pete Rose’s playing career. 

“Look, you can like him, you can hate him. During the 1970s and 1980s, I think the only athlete that was more well-known around the world was Muhammad Ali. Everybody knew Pete Rose. He was the man. And like you said earlier, you could be a Cub fan, you could be a Dodger fan when they played in the same division back in those days when he played, and you could hate him. But man, you’d take him on your team all day every day.” Thom Brennaman said.

With the resume Rose had, there was no doubt you would want him on your team, and there was no doubt he was incredibly well-known.

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Reds great Pete Rose holds a star bearing his name at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on June 24, 2016. (IMAGN)

Rose won an MVP, was a three-time World Series champion, World Series MVP, three-time batting champion and a 17-time All-Star over the course of his 24-year playing career. 

Rose not only leads MLB in all-time hits, but he also has the most games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and singles (3,215) recorded.

However, despite such an incredible resume, Rose is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame because of a gambling scandal. 

During Rose’s last year as manager of the Reds in 1989, he was permanently banned from baseball over accusations that he bet on games while he played and managed the team.

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Pete Rose waves to his fans during the unveiling of a statue dedicated to him at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on June 17, 2017. (IMAGN)

In 1991, upon Rose’s eligibility for being inducted into Cooperstown, he was deemed “permanently ineligible” to ever enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rose admitted in 2004 that he bet on baseball and the Reds, and a June 2015 investigation by ESPN found that Rose did indeed bet on baseball while serving as player and manager for the Reds, with records of the bets made public.

Regardless of whether he is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Rose will be missed by those who knew him.

Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.

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