If you hear “Put it in the books!”, you already know what happened: the Mets won, and Howie Rose just put the final stamp on it. For decades, that line has carried more weight in Queens than plenty of players ever did. Now, on September 20, the Mets will honor the voice that often became more memorable than the team he was calling.

“For his final home game, the Mets will honor Howie Rose with a special pregame ceremony,” SNY Mets shared via X.

For nearly four decades, Howie Rose has been one of the few constants in Mets baseball, even when the team itself was anything but. He was there for Mike Piazza’s post-9/11 home run, Pete Alonso’s 2024 Wild Card miracle, and plenty of ugly nights in between. Now, at 72, Rose is walking away after the 2026 season, and the Mets know they cannot treat this like an ordinary retirement. When a broadcaster becomes more reliable than the franchise he covers, the farewell has to match the legacy.

And for that, the Mets are making sure fans take a piece of Rose’s legacy home with them.

The first 15,000 fans at Citi Field on September 20 will receive a “Put It in the Books!” notebook and scorecard, inspired by his signature call after Mets wins.

And Steve and Alex Cohen made it clear why the tribute runs deeper than a giveaway. “For generations of Mets fans, Howie Rose has been more than a broadcaster; he has been the soundtrack of summer and the voice behind some of the most memorable moments in our history,” the Mets owners said, adding that Rose is now “part of the fabric of this franchise.”

Well, Rose’s retirement has been building for years, and his health was the first real warning sign. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in March 2021 and initially underwent less invasive treatment, but when doctors were not satisfied with the results, they recommended surgery. Rose announced his leave on August 30 and called his final game on September 1 before undergoing surgery on September 3. He missed the final 29 games of the season while recovering, but returned to the booth in March 2022.

“Some of you may know that I’ve been dealing with a personal medical issue this season. In light of this, I will require surgery later this week, so following Wednesday’s game, I will have to put this season in the books. Looking forward to starting a new chapter next spring.” He said in a statement on August 30, 2021.

But getting back behind the microphone did not mean going back to the same schedule. After the cancer battle, Rose started cutting out long West Coast trips because of the toll travel was taking on his body. By 2025, he was traveling only for Opening Day, trips to Philadelphia, and the final road trip of the season. In 2026, he cut regular-season travel completely, reducing his schedule from 100 games to 84, consisting of all 81 home games and the three Subway Series games at Yankee Stadium.

“That’s basically the only way I can keep it going at this point,” Rose said about eliminating travel. “Travel is not my favorite thing. So to be able to eliminate it, at least for the regular season, was something that I needed to do if I was going to work this year.” He also admitted that he had been approaching his career one season at a time for years, saying, “I’ve literally been in my mind going year-to-year for a few years now.”

Rose announced his retirement at the start of the 2026 season, but he is not completely closing the door on broadcasting. “I’m not saying I’ll never do another game after Sept. 20, but as a full-time thing, that’ll be it,” Rose said. The full-time grind is over, but Rose could still return for the occasional game.

Howie Rose became a New York sports voice beyond baseball

Rose’s career was never just about baseball. For years, he lived between two New York seasons, calling Mets games through the summer and then shifting almost immediately into hockey. He spent seven seasons calling Rangers games on WFAN, with the defining moment coming during the 1994 playoff run.

Even when Stéphane Matteau scored in double overtime of Game 7 against the Devils, Rose’s screaming “Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!” became one of the most famous calls in New York sports. A year later, he moved to the Islanders and stayed there for more than two decades, eventually stepping away from the hockey booth in 2016.

Through all of that, the Mets remained the constant. Rose had been connected to the franchise since 1987, moved into full-time Mets play-by-play in the 1990s, and eventually became the lead radio voice in 2006. So while hockey gave him one of the most iconic calls of his career, Mets baseball became his identity.

From long losing summers to pennant runs and late-inning miracles, Rose kept showing up, year after year, until his voice became as familiar to Mets fans as the team itself.

Still, there was something that made Rose special.

Howie Rose made the Mets’ booth special

While MLB has a few other legendary voices across all the franchises, what made Rose special with the Mets was his Vivid Word Painting. He doesn’t just call the action.

Rather, he even focused on the shifting shadows on the infield grass, the humidity in the air, and the tension vibrating through the stadium crowd. Rose never hides his emotional investment in the team.

When the Mets suffer a heartbreaking loss, his voice carries a familiar, heavy sigh; when they win, his genuine joy is infectious.

“When Howie talks about Casey Stengel’s original Mets, or Tom Seaver’s Miracle Mets, it’s not from study; it’s from memory and from the heart. His listeners know that, and they feel that connection. A connection that has deepened with every game he has called,” Bob Costas said about Rose.

That connection was best felt when Rose called Alonso’s 2024 Wild Card fairy tale. In the 9th inning of Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Mets trailed 2-0 and were down to their final outs.

Pete Alonso hit a spectacular, clutch three-run home run to save the season, prompting Rose to passionately exclaim: “He did it! He did it! Pete Alonso with the most memorable home run of his career!”

Hence, such a legendary voice stepping away from the Queens deserves a grand event. However, the Mets securing a postseason berth may be the best tribute to Howie Rose.