The radio voice of the New York Mets said he will be calling it a career at the end of the 2026 season.
Howie Rose is set to retire at year’s end, he and the team announced Thursday. Rose has called Mets games on radio or television every year since 1995. He also served as the radio voice for the New York Rangers, including their Stanley Cup-winning season in 1993-94, and the radio and television voice for the New York Islanders.
“Trust me, I did not arrive at this decision to retire easily. But the reality is, I’m 72 years old, and my wife Barbara, who has sacrificed so much for so long, deserves to have her husband around a little more often, whether she likes it or not,” Rose said in a video posted to social media.
Rose revealed in 2023 he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer two years prior. He underwent treatment and has been managing his condition by reducing the number of road games he has called in recent seasons. This year, he will be in the booth for every Mets home game, their three road games at Yankee Stadium in mid-September and every postseason game, should the team get there this October.
Howie Rose And New York Mets History
Rose has seen and called some of the greatest moments in franchise history during his tenure with the Mets, and fans have come to recognize his signature “Put it in the books!” call after wins.
Rose was on the call for Mike Piazza’s go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves in the first game played in New York after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. His call leading into a thunderous crowd reaction at Shea Stadium has become synonymous with the Hall-of-Fame catcher. The Mets will play the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 11, 2026, the 25th anniversary of an event that changed New York and a nation forever.
The Mets’ longtime radio broadcaster also called the only no hitter in franchise history, thrown by Johan Santana at Citi Field on June 1, 2012. Santana tossed a career-high 134 pitches and got some help from a miraculous, seventh-inning catch at the left-field fence by Queens, New York native Mike Baxter. Shortly after the left-hander struck out the St. Louis Cardinals’ David Freese to end the game, Rose exclaimed “Put it in the books! The history books!”
In 2024, Rose made what may become his most famous Mets’ postseason call. When Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead, three-run home run off of Milwaukee Brewers’ closer Devin Williams in the ninth inning of Game 3 of an NL Wild Card series, the voice of the team did not hold back. New York closed it out in the bottom of the frame to continue their postseason run and ensure Rose’s account of the moment would live on forever.
Who Will Take Over For Howie Rose?
Since 2025, Keith Raad has been a play-by-play voice in the Mets’ radio broadcast booth, and he will likely take over as the lead voice when Rose retires. Raad is a Valley Stream, New York native and spent five years as the voice of the Brooklyn Cyclones (the Mets’ Single A+ affiliate) before joining the professional club.
Rose also said he will be involved with the Mets in some capacity after retiring, even if he is no longer calling games. “I’m not making a clean break,” Rose said. “For me, letting go of the Mets isn’t hard, it’s impossible.”
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