Legendary Mets announcer Howie Rose explains major career decision

For many New York Mets fans, play-by-play announcer Howie Rose has been the primary voice of their baseball seasons throughout springs and falls across a handful of decades. 

That is about to change. 

Via a video posted by the Mets on X (formerly known as Twitter), Rose confirmed on Thursday that he will retire from calling Mets games once the 2026 season wraps up. 

Howie Rose says goodbye to "the greatest fans in baseball"

"Having grown up in Shea Stadium’s upper deck in the 1960s and early 1970s, my long career as a Mets broadcaster has been the epitome of 'Living the Dream,'" Rose said via a statement shared by Danny Abriano of SNY. "I have been honored and blessed to follow the lineage of Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner, and I look forward to savoring and sharing every moment of the 2026 season with the greatest fans in baseball."

As Ben Dickson noted for Newsday, Rose's Mets career began when he started hosting pregame and postgame shows for radio broadcasts back in 1987. He has been calling Mets games for either television or radio broadcasts since 1996, and he also serves as the master of ceremonies for special events, such as Opening Day festivities and when a number is retired. Back in 2023, Rose was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.