The New York Mets were supposed to honor legendary announcer Howie Rose with a retirement ceremony ahead of Sunday's home game against the Philadelphia Phillies, the last contest Rose plans to work as the full-time radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Mets. 

While the weather forced the Mets to move his retirement ceremony to 2027, he was able to offer an emotional farewell to fans following New York's 7-2 loss at Citi Field.

Howie Rose couldn't "find the right words" amid sign-off

"...I'm supposed to be reasonably articulate," Rose explained, per Ben Pawlak of SNY. "You know, when you're a broadcaster, you're supposed to be able to find the right words to say, but I don't think I can find the right words to express just how much all of you mean to me. You know, we've known each other a long, long time, and whether we've met personally or not it feels as though we're on a first-name basis with each other, right? We've been together in the car, at the beach, enjoying a backyard barbecue, maybe even under the covers if you tried to hide your radio or smartphone from mom and dad during those West Coast games." 

Rose began hosting Mets radio pregame and postgame shows in 1987, the year after the club won its most recent World Series championship. Since 1996, he has called New York games for either the radio or television broadcasts. This season, he reduced his working schedule to call the Mets' 81 home games plus three games at the New York Yankees.

"But most importantly," Rose continued, "we shared some time bonding over the exploits of the team we love, the New York Mets. And so, as I said [Saturday] in closing, thank you, and I love you all." 

What Howie Rose will miss the most about calling Mets games

While a Mets team that was supposed to contend for at least a playoff spot became a massive disappointment en route to being eliminated from the postseason, Rose has insisted that he hasn't had second thoughts about calling time on being the Mets' first-choice radio voice. Ahead of Sunday's contest, he acknowledged he will miss the "challenge" of calling games for radio broadcasts.

"I'm going to miss everything about it, because this is really all I know how to do." Rose added. "Radio is the most intimate medium. You have to call, to craft, to describe. To me, that's the greatest challenge in sports broadcasting, painting that picture."

It remains to be seen whether Opening Day 2027 will happen as planned or will be impacted by an expected work stoppage. The Mets are scheduled to open their first series at Citi Field next season against the San Francisco Giants on April 2.