Howie Rose definitely put one for the books! On Saturday, the man wasn’t supposed to say goodbye to the New York Mets. But the rain threatening Sunday’s series finale created some uncertainty about his plans. The legendary broadcaster had an emotional sign-off after the Mets’ 10-3 win, fearing it might be his last.
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“I think whether we play tomorrow or they play tomorrow or not, I just preemptively want to say how much you all mean to me,” Rose shared with fans and the baseball world.
As he was trying to fight back his tears, SNY insiders reflected on their colleague’s incredible journey and the impact he has had on the franchise for almost four decades.
“It’s kind of a limbo that he’s in because he doesn’t know whether there’s going to be a game tomorrow and he’s not going to be able to work on Monday. And so he’s not sure whether he’s just done his last game or not,” Ron Darling said from the SNY booth.
Rose is retiring after the 2026 season, and the rubber game against the Philadelphia Phillies was supposed to be his last. It would have marked the end of a 39th and final season with the Mets.
“He is one of the few remaining people in this business who has been aware of the Mets from day one,” Gary Cohen added. “Howie was right there in 1962. He once said that he felt as though the Mets had been created for him because he was just the right age.”
Cohen mentioned that Rose was around seven or eight years old when the franchise started operating as a Major League Baseball expansion team. And the fact that that kid has been there with the Mets for 65 years simply makes him one of the biggest legends.
“You know, I work with people all the time when I’m outside of this booth. Guys who just can’t wait to move on to the next bigger, better thing,” Darling stated. “And with Howie, we’re talking about a Queens kid that got his ultimate job, and he has made it distinctive and different, and they’ll never be anyone as long as this franchise is around that will match Howie Rose.”
That’s why Cohen mentioned that “Nobody represents the Mets better than Howie Rose.”
Darling and Keith Hernandez instantly agreed.
The trio sounded less like insiders and more like friends and fans who are watching an important figure hang up his boots. And it’s not just them.
Pete Alonso, one of the club’s favorite homegrown stars, earlier reflected on Rose’s impact on the game and the Mets.
“He’s just been doing it for such a long time where people don’t know him as anything else but the voice of the Mets,” the former Met said. “What he means is really special to a lot of people.”
Rose grew up as a Mets fan and began broadcasting in the 1970s. He became a part of New York’s broadcasting team in 1987.
His signature “Put it in the books!” or his famous “Matteau!” are inseparable parts of the city. And now that he is retiring, fans are as emotional as the broadcaster himself.
“Love Howie listening to the radio and crying its hard to believe he wont be here next year !!” commented on the post uploaded by SNY Mets.
People flooded the internet, pouring their hearts out for the beloved broadcaster.
One fan said, “Howie’s the best!” and another followed suit, saying, “We 🧡 you, Howie! 💙”
Rose has shared how people have been sending their love since he announced his retirement in March. There have been nonstop tributes leading into Sunday’s farewell ceremony at Citi Field. Defined by his chemistry with fans, Howie acknowledged the feeling of sadness in his heart, as his journey with the Mets comes to an end. It looks like he’s folllowing Joe Torre’s three words of friendly advice:
“Don’t fight it.”
“I feel like I’m at the bottom of an avalanche,” an emotional and overwhelmed Howie Rose noted.
In his goodbye message this weekend, the loved commentator said:
“I just want to speak solely to you, the Mets fan, because I’ve used the term forever ‘kindred spirits,’ and I think you understand that any one of you could be where I’m sitting here in this booth because we have very similar backgrounds, right?”
Quoting Vin Scully, “You know I needed you more than you ever needed me,” Rose exclaimed, “I didn’t understand that when he said that, but reading the comments to everything that’s been written, whether in the newspapers or online or broadcast anywhere else, to hear the love that you’ve sent to my family and me, I think I know what Vin meant now.”
We have seen similar emotional responses from fans back in March when he first talked about retiring. But he went back on his words shortly after, tweeting, “I was only kidding.”
While some were a bit disappointed with the early April Fool joke, they were actually relieved that he is not retiring. But their happiness didn’t last long as the original retirement plan turned out to be true.
“God bless you @HowieRose and thank you for the wonderful memories you have made for us over the years!!! Enjoy your retirement and stay well!!!,” read one comment.
The news has been one of the biggest heartbreaks for Mets loyalists.
One fan wrote, “There will never be anyone that will replace HOWIE ROSE 🌹💕 #LGM.”
But is this really the end of the Howie Rose era?
“Hopefully this is not it for this year, I will be back. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. They’ll dust me off here to do the various ceremonies, beginning with Opening Day and Mets Hall of Fame day and number retirements and if we do an Old Timers’ Day and I’ll visit in the booth from time to time, as long as it’s in New York or Miami. My days of going to other places are just about over, but just know that I love you all,” signed off Rose.
The New York Mets officially had a special retirement ceremony scheduled on Sunday. But with the weather threatening to foil those plans, the franchise may have the ceremony next season. So, on his probable last day as the New York Mets broadcaster, Howie Rose assured the fans what they needed the most: relatability.
“I grew up in the upper deck at Shea Stadium. Many of you sit in the upper deck here or sat somewhere here or at Shea Stadium, but the point is that I feel like I know you, and more importantly, I feel like you know me,” the announcer elaborated on his similarity with fans.
As we bid adieu to the long-time voice for now, we cannot wait to listen to signature styles for at least one more time…