Howie Rose says Sept. 20 will be his final game as the Mets' radio play-by-play man, closing out a long run in the booth while leaving open the possibility that he could still pop in for an occasional game later on.
Rose made that clear Friday night after a Citi Field screening and Q&A with Gary Cohen, saying he is not ruling out future appearances but that his full-time Mets radio role will end on Sept. 20. He added that the job has always been about the people, saying, “It’s a people business, and I’m going to miss the people most.”
A long Mets run is nearing its end
For listeners, the news marks the end of an era. Rose has been one of the most recognizable Mets voices for years, and Pete Alonso summed up that place in the franchise's identity by saying, “When you think of the New York Mets, you think of Howie.”
Rose's path in broadcasting began in Bayside, Queens, and his radio career took off at WHN, which later became WFAN, with help from Marv Albert. After that, he moved on to call games for the Rangers and Islanders before eventually becoming a fixture with the Mets.
Even with Sept. 20 set as his last full-time game, this does not sound like a complete goodbye from the booth. Rose said, “I’m not saying I’ll never do another game after Sept. 20th, but as a full-time thing, that’ll be it.” He also said he feels he could probably keep going for “another two, three, four years” at roughly the same level, but that he does not like doing only part of the schedule.
What comes next for Rose and the Mets
Rose explained that he enjoys being around the team every day, on the road and at home, but that he feels the job is shortchanged if he comes and goes. “But it’s all the other stuff,” he said, pointing to the full rhythm of the season rather than a partial schedule.
The documentary on his career, Howie Rose: Put It In the Books, will premiere Tuesday night after the Mets' postgame show on SNY. Rose and his family saw it for the first time before the Nationals-Mets game on Friday night, just ahead of that premiere.
Rose is already expected to continue as master of ceremonies for Mets on-field celebrations, and he will also work three games at Yankee Stadium next month. So while Sept. 20 will end his full-time Mets radio play-by-play role, it does not sound like the final time fans will hear him connected to the team.
And if there is a 2027 season, the announcer who will join Keith Raad in the Mets' booth is expected to arrive then. For now, though, the clearest date on the calendar is Sept. 20, when Rose will call his final game in the role that helped define his place in Mets history.
