Howie Rose will close out a broadcasting career that has spanned five decades at the conclusion of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, as the longtime New York Mets radio voice confirmed Thursday that this year will be his last behind the microphone.
Rose, who has served as a defining soundtrack for Mets baseball since the mid-1990s, made the decision following several seasons of scaled-back responsibilities tied to ongoing health challenges and the physical demands of travel, which have increasingly shaped his workload and long-term outlook.
At 72, Rose acknowledged earlier this spring that continuing in a full-time role required adjustments, particularly when it comes to the grind of a 162-game schedule and the rigors that come with it. As a result, he will not call road games during the regular season, opting instead to focus exclusively on home broadcasts unless the Mets advance to the postseason.
“That’s basically the only way I can keep it going at this point,” Rose said earlier this spring. “It catches up to you. 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.”
That compromise, Rose explained, represents the only sustainable path forward for one final season after decades of balancing baseball with other high-profile assignments, including years spent calling National Hockey League games during the offseason.
Rose’s broadcasting journey began in 1975, and he became a fixture in the Mets’ booth in 1996, contributing across both television and radio platforms before settling into his current role. Over that time, he has delivered some of the franchise’s most memorable calls, including key moments from the club’s 2015 run to the National League pennant and Pete Alonso’s dramatic go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the 2024 NL Wild Card Series.
While his baseball work has defined much of his legacy, Rose also earned widespread recognition in hockey circles, most notably for his call of Stéphane Matteau’s overtime goal that propelled the New York Rangers to the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, a moment that remains iconic among NHL fans.
Health considerations have played a significant role in his recent decisions. Rose has been navigating the effects of bladder cancer since 2021, and although he has continued to work, the cumulative toll has led him to reduce his schedule multiple times in recent years.
Even with those challenges, Rose long maintained a personal goal of remaining on the air until the Mets captured another World Series title, a milestone the franchise has not achieved since 1986. That aspiration helped extend his career beyond what might have otherwise been an earlier exit.
Still, with the realities of travel and endurance becoming harder to manage, Rose ultimately chose to set a definitive endpoint, ensuring that his final season unfolds on his own terms while still allowing him to remain connected to the team he grew up following at Shea Stadium.
His departure will mark the end of an era for Mets fans, who have come to associate his voice with generations of the club’s biggest moments, as well as its everyday rhythms across nearly 30 years in the booth.
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