Mets manager Carlos Mendoza made World Series promise to Howie Rose after retirement announcement

New York Mets fans were saddened to learn on Thursday morning that beloved radio play-by-play announcer Howie Rose will retire from calling Mets games after the 2026 season comes to an end. 

As part of his announcement, Rose suggested that being part of a World Series championship celebration this coming fall would be an ideal way to end his full-time duties with the Mets. Later in the day, he appeared on New York sports radio station WFAN and shared a message he received from Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.

Carlos Mendoza called his World Series shot to Howie Rose

"In fact, after it became public, Mendy texted me and said, 'We’re going to win it all this year,'" Rose revealed, per NJ Advance Media. "I hope, you know, didn’t betray a confidence there, but I thought it was so cool that he said that because I told him nothing would make me happier. You know, I’ve been hanging on for that, but I can’t hang on much longer." 

Rose, 72, began hosting pregame and postgame shows for Mets radio broadcasts back in 1987. The previous year, the Mets won what remains their most-recent World Series championship. 

Carlos Mendoza understands what Howie Rose means to Mets, Mets fans

Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen served as Rose’s radio partner for two years, and Cohen is now one-third of what is often referred to as the best television booth in all of MLB. On Thursday, Cohen discussed what Rose, who has spoken about watching Mets games in the upper deck at Shea Stadium when he was a kid, means to the organization and to fans of the club. 

"He is the custodian of Mets’ history," Cohen said about Rose, per Tim Britton, Will Sammon and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. "He goes back to the first days of the franchise, so that for people who are not as old as we are, he brings full circle the history of the ballclub and the feeling of what it is to be a Mets fan. … He is an indelible piece of the Mets’ firmament."

Mendoza's vow will mean plenty to Mets fans regarding the skipper's understanding of the franchise's history. That said, Mendoza could also receive plenty of blame from those same supporters if the Mets fall short of claiming the ultimate prize this coming fall.