Pete Rose didn’t send Trump a baseball or endorse him

“Pete has made a point not to ‘endorse’ any particular presidential candidate,” attorney Ray Genco in a statement. “Though he respects everyone who works hard for our country — any outlet that misinterpreted a signed baseball for an endorsement was wrong.”

Trump posted a photo to social media this weekend claiming Rose had sent him an autographed baseball. The picture showed that the supposed gift had been inscribed with a message reading, “Mr. Trump, Please make America great again.”

“Just received from [Pete Rose],” the GOP candidate tweeted. “Thank you Pete! #VoteTrump on Tuesday Ohio!”

The casino tycoon hopes to declare victory Tuesday in Ohio’s winner-take-all Republican primary, which is worth 66 delegates. An endorsement from Rose could go a long way, considering he came to fame playing in Cincinnati. As a member of the Reds, Rose established himself as one of the fiercest and most ambitious ballplayers of all time (they called him “Charlie Hustle” for a reason).

However, the former athlete’s lawyer maintained Monday that Rose neither sent Trump an autographed baseball, nor did he endorse the real estate mogul.

“Pete did not send any candidate a baseball or a note of endorsement,” Genco said. “That said, through my discussions with Pete about this cycle, I’ve learned that he believes that who to vote for is a decision each voter should decide for him or herself.”

“Pete knows and has impressed upon me that, above politics, it’s leadership and teamwork make all the difference. Both the left and right are Baseball fans — and it is those institutions and their people that make America exceptional,” he added.

Rose reportedly said in November 2015 that the presidential election would come down to a race between Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, according to Fox News’ Daniel Gallo.

“It’s also worth noting that as I walked away, Rose told me the one person he really liked in the race was [Ohio Gov. John Kasich],” the Fox reporter added.

Trump told a crowd this weekend that Rose should be accepted into the MLB Hall of Fame, an honor that has been denied the former ballplayer due to a gambling scandal that came to light in 1988.