Whether or not Howie Rose gets one last ride with the Mets, he made sure to let fans know what they mean to him.
The Mets radio voice is set to retire Sunday after the final home game of the season, capping a nearly four-decade career in the booth in Queens.
But with rain in the forecast on Sunday — expected to start in the morning and last throughout the day — Rose made Saturday count like it was his last.
“I don’t want to think that this was it, even though in my mind I’ve kind of treated today as though it might well be,” Rose said after the Mets’ 10-3 win over the Phillies. “Whether we play tomorrow, or they play tomorrow or not, I just preemptively want to say how much you all mean to me.”
If all goes as planned, the Mets will hold a retirement ceremony on the field Sunday while the first 15,000 fans will receive a notebook and scorecard with Rose’s signature “put it in the books” call.
Growing up a Mets fan in Queens during the team’s nascent years, Rose, who also spoke to the crowd at Carlos Beltrán’s induction into the Mets Hall of Fame on Saturday, took the time in his nearly four-minute closing monologue to shout out his fellow born-and-bred fans.
“Any one of you could sit where I’m sitting here in this booth because we have very similar backgrounds,” Rose said. “I grew up in the upper deck at Shea Stadium, many of you sit in the upper deck here or sat somewhere here or at Shea Stadium. But the point is that I feel like I know you. And more importantly, I feel like you know me.”
of Fame on Sept. 19, 2026 at Citi Field. Jason Szenes for New York Post
Rose — known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the Mets and baseball in general — hearkened back to fellow broadcasting legend Vin Scully, who penned in a letter to fans before his final broadcast: “I needed you more than you needed me.”
“I didn’t understand that when he said it,” Rose said of Scully’s words. “But reading the comments to everything that’s been written — whether in the newspapers or online or broadcast anywhere else — to hear the love that you’ve sent to my family and me, I think I know what Vin meant now.”
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Rose also told fans this wouldn’t be it.
After Sunday’s scheduled ceremony honoring him, he expects to be called back for various events — and maybe even a cameo or two in the booth.
But if Saturday was goodbye for now, he had one has parting message for fans.
“Just know that I love you all,” Rose said, seeming to hold back tears as he signed off.
