Mets radio voice Howie Rose to retire after this season

Howie Rose, the iconic radio voice of the New York Mets, will retire following the 2026 season, he announced Thursday morning.

Rose, who was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2021, reduced his schedule in recent years, cutting back to 100 games before announcing plans to eliminate travel this season. Last month, Rose announced he will call 84 games this season, working all home broadcasts from Citi Field and three Subway Series road games from Yankee Stadium in September.

And if the Mets advance to the playoffs, Howie Rose will call every game, home or away, in what we now know will be his final season in the radio booth.

A message from @HowieRose: pic.twitter.com/PwC89TDduy

— New York Mets (@Mets) March 19, 2026

“I’ve been blessed to be a part of Mets broadcasts in one capacity or another since 1987,” Rose said in his announcement video shared by the Mets. “And every season has been unique and significant in its own way. This year though, will be especially meaningful to me. Because 2026 will be my final season in the Mets broadcast booth.”

Rose noted he didn’t come to this retirement decision easily, having frequently gone back and forth when assessing his future plans in recent years.

“But the simple reality is I am 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,” Rose continued.

Howie Rose added that while he won’t be the radio voice of the Mets after this season, this won’t be a clean break either, expecting to remain with the team in some unspecified capacity.

“Because for me, letting go of the Mets isn’t hard, it’s impossible,” he said. “And one of the biggest reasons for that is the bond that we’ve created with each other through all these years. The warmth, acceptance, and yes, love that you’ve shown me in so many ways for so long, makes this all the more difficult. And I return those feelings in kind.”

This will be Rose’s fourth season with broadcast partner Keith Raad for the Mets on WCBS-880. And when Rose is out, pre and postgame host Pat McCarthy, the son of Rose’s former radio partner and current voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, Tom McCarthy, joins Raad in the booth.

The 72-year-old has become synonymous with the Mets since starting out as a broadcaster for the team he grew up rooting for in 1987. In addition to his tenure with the Mets, Rose has also been a voice of the Rangers and Islanders, during his career. The iconic New York broadcaster will always be remembered for calling Stéphane Matteau’s double-overtime goal in Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals sending the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals, with Rose famously repeating “Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!”

Rose prolonged his Mets career by giving up his NHL work. And he continued to extend his career by cutting back the number of games he worked and eliminating travel this season. But in recent years, he kept addressing his future by noting plans to return the following season, but reserving the right to reassess once he gets to his home in Florida for the offseason.

And after this last winter in Florida, Howie Rose appears to have decided one more season will be enough to cap off what has been a legendary New York sportscasting career.