New York Mets fans looking to see the team honor legendary radio announcer Howie Rose will have to wait until next season.
The team announced on Sunday morning that the planned ceremony for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies would be pushed amid an expected rain delay. The Mets are closing out their final home stand of the 2026 season, and concluding with one more disappointment for fans.
Mets ‘Disappointed’ to Change Ceremony Time
The Mets released a statement from Lew Sherr, president of business operations, saying they would move the ceremony honoring Rose until the start of the 2027 season.
“Howie Rose is more than a broadcaster to this organization. He is a part of the fabric of the New York Mets. Out of respect for everything he has meant to our fans, we have decided to postpone the ceremony and instead honor him during Opening Weekend 2027,” Sherr said, via Newsday. “While we are disappointed that inclement weather will prevent us from having our planned ceremony, we want to make sure that we properly celebrate Howie for all that he has done for the Mets.”
Mets reporter Anthony DiComo noted that the game was still expected to be played, though the start time was uncertain amid forecasts that showed rain throughout the early afternoon.
The report from Newsday noted that the Mets were offering fans with a paid ticket to Sunday’s game a digital ticket voucher “comparable in price and location to a 2027 April-May home game at Citi Field,” though with some exclusions and conditions.
Howie Rose Said Goodbye to Mets Fans
Anticipating the inclement weather on Sunday and the potential that the game could be canceled, Rose said a goodbye to fans at the conclusion of his broadcast on Saturday. With television announcer Gary Cohen watching on in the radio booth, Rose shared a heartfelt message to fans.
“I think whether we play tomorrow or they play tomorrow or not, I just preemptively want to say how much you all mean to me,” Rose said.
Cohen, who applauded as Rose signed off, said the team was a perfect fit for the longtime broadcaster, who was a child when the team first started as an expansion team.
“He is one of the few remaining people in this business who has been aware of the Mets from day one,” Cohen said. “Howie was right there in 1962. He once said that he felt as though the Mets had been created for him because he was just the right age.”
Fellow television broadcast color commentator Ron Darling said Rose’s devotion to the Mets was evident throughout his career.
“You know, I work with people all the time when I’m outside of this booth. Guys who just can’t wait to move on to the next bigger, better thing,” Darling said. “And with Howie, we’re talking about a Queens kid that got his ultimate job, and he has made it distinctive and different, and they’ll never be anyone as long as this franchise is around that will match Howie Rose.”
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