Howie Rose, left, says this will be his last year calling Mets games. Brad Penner / Imagn Images
March 19, 2026Updated 10:35 am EDT
The legendary voice of the New York Mets, Howie Rose, will retire at the end of this season, he and the team announced Thursday.
Rose, 72, has had a decorated career as a voice in New York, most notably with the Mets, as well as the Rangers and the Islanders. His radio call of Stéphane Matteau’s goal in Game 7 of the 1994 conference finals that put the Rangers into the Stanley Cup Finals is one of the greatest in sports broadcasting history, with Rose memorably repeating, “Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!”
Rose revealed in February 2023 that two years earlier, he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer. He has continued broadcasting but has reduced the number of road games he calls. Rose is scheduled to call all 81 home games this season and three Subway Series matchups in the Bronx, but no other road games.
Rose has spent more than three decades calling Mets games and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023.
He will retire among the all-time greats in Mets broadcasting history, including Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling.
Mar 19, 2026
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