Howie Rose officially “put it in the books.”
The beloved Mets broadcaster struggled to hide his emotions on Sunday as fans at Citi Field paid tribute to him during the final innings of the season’s last home game.
Rose is hanging up his microphone after Sunday’s loss to the Phillies.
Though the game was meaningless for the already-eliminated Mets, it was an emotional one for the longtime radio voice, who got choked up in the ninth inning on air.
As the radio broadcast returned from commercial break, Rose had to regain composure as the Citi Field PA system played “Hello, Goodbye” by The Beatles in the background.
Rose’s voice cracked as he painted a picture to the radio listeners of what was happening inside the ballpark.
“It’s not goodbye as far as I’m concerned,” Rose said. “I’ll still be here for the ceremonies, and I don’t mean the retirement ceremonies, I mean Opening Day and when we have Mets Hall of Fame Day or retire a number or have an Old Timers Day. So I’m stepping away, basically a retirement … and I certainly appreciate your cheers if you’re listening in the ballpark.”
Fans began chanting “Howie Rose” as he spoke on the broadcast, and video showed Rose reaching for tissues.
“[Rangers great] Mark Messier taught me a long time ago, you ever get into a situation where you think you’re going to be emotional, pack some Kleenex,” Rose joked while holding up a pouch of tissues.
A separate video showed the moment Rose came off the air and Mets fans had gathered outside the broadcast booth and cheered a visibly emotional Rose. The Mets players and staff had also come out of the dugout and tipped their caps up towards Rose after the game.
The Mets had planned to hold a celebration Sunday to honor Rose’s career, but it was postponed until next season due to inclement weather.
“Next year when we do this, whenever we do it … it’s going to be a party,” he said to fans about the celebration of his career. “It’s going to have such a positive feel to it.”
Rose had been the lead radio voice for the Mets since 2006 after stints covering the team as a TV broadcaster and a pregame and postgame host on WFAN.
Tri-state area hockey fans remember Rose from his time as the Rangers radio broadcaster and later the television voice of the Islanders.
Rose has served as the soundtrack for some of the Mets, Rangers and Islanders’ most memorable moments, including Mike Piazza’s home run following the Sep. 11 terror attacks, Stephane Matteau’s game-winning goal for the Rangers over the Devils in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals and John Tavares’ series-clinching goal for the Islanders in 2016 to win them their first playoff series in 23 years.
Rose’s departure from the booth marks the latest staple of New York sports broadcasting to step away.
Yankees voice John Sterling retired in 2024 before his death earlier this year, and legendary Rangers TV voice Sam Rosen retired after the 2024-25 NHL season.
