CINCINNATI — And this one belongs to . . . Marty Brennaman.
The longtime voice of the Cincinnati Reds was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame at the team's Friday night game against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park.
He was nervous ahead of time, he said.
"There are so many people that are going to be here tonight that know me, and over a 46-year period have supported me, and it’s beyond description in terms of trying to tell you adequately how I feel," he said.
Brennaman, who retired at the end of the 2019 season after 46 years in the radio booth, is the first broadcaster inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame. He joins the Hall's 89 other inductees, including 81 former Reds players, five managers, and three executives.
RELATED: Hall of Fame ceremonies in 2000 secured Marty Brennaman's place in Reds history
The COVID-19 pandemic postponed Brennaman's induction into the Reds Hall of Fame, which the club announced shortly after his retirement.
Friday's induction, moved under cover because of rain, was to include the on-field Induction Ceremony presented by Clark Schaefer Hackett and the Reds Alumni Softball Game, featuring over 40 Reds Hall of Famers and former Reds on the field at Great American Ball Park.
One of those Reds Hall of Famers even showed up to town a little early on Friday.
Back in the Queen City!Lets gooo! @reds @dgravy32 @adamdunn_44 pic.twitter.com/mclEfMPsQD
— Sean Casey (@TheMayorsOffice) August 27, 2021
"We can't think of a better way to honor Marty Brennaman than with one of the largest gatherings of Reds Hall of Famers and alumni from his 46-year broadcasting career," said Rick Walls, Reds Hall of Fame executive director. "Hosting the induction at the ballpark provides the perfect setting for fans to witness this historic event and see so many of their favorite Reds on the field again."
This wasn't the first time Major League Baseball honored Brennaman for his contribution to the sport. In 2000 Brennaman received the Ford C. Frick Award for "major contributions to baseball broadcasting." That won him a framed scroll and a place of honor in the "Scribes & Mikemen" exhibit in the Hall of Fame library in Cooperstown, New York.
