What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
The settled for a split of their four-game series with the Phillies after dropping their finale 7-2 (box)
RHP Jonah Tong started for the Mets and was inconsistent over 4.2 IP, allowing four runs on five hits with four walks
The Mets scattered eight singles around a Mark Vientos double and a solo home run from Bo Bichette
RHP Kodai Senga allowed three runs while recording one out in the eighth inning, but RHP Jack Weisenburger, LHP Jefry Yan, and RHP Austin Warren combined for four innings of scoreless relief
The Mets postponed Howie Rose’s retirement ceremony until the first weekend of the 2027 due to inclement weather on Sunday
Play of the Game 😢
With the Mets down by two runs in the eighth inning on Sunday, Kodai Senga allowed a three-run triple to Justin Crawford, putting the game completely out of reach for the Mets.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
ICYMI: On the latest midweek edition of The Just Mets Podcast, Andrew and Rich MacLeod debated the response to Pete Alonso’s return to Citi Field.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
OF José Ramos (Triple-A): 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R
BOX SCORES
Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
The Mets are off today. They open a three-game series with the Rangers in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday night.
On Howie Rose and always being a Met ✍️
The Mets meandered through a meaningless day for them on the field on Sunday during a rainy afternoon at Citi Field, but it was far from meaningless off of it.
Sure, the Phillies needed to win, and they took care of business against the Mets, who ended their home schedule with a disappointing 36–45 record and headed off to finish their road schedule against the Rangers and Texas in the final week of the regular season and complete a second straight season without a playoff appearance.
But it was a day of appreciation and reminiscing, which will make this otherwise lazy and insignificant game a memorable day in Mets history.
For it was Howie Rose’s final broadcast in the Mets radio booth after serving as a member of their radio and/or television crew since 1987, and truly an end of a broadcasting era not just for the Mets, but for the entire sports and broadcasting industry.
For Howie, I truly wish this season had gone as expected and his time could continue as a radio broadcaster into October. He’s as great a Mets fan as he was a broadcaster, with his loyalty for the club dating all the way back to day one in 1962. He has become a part of the Mets fabric and identity as much as anyone ever has. Anyone who has ever followed the Mets immediately connects them to the broadcasters of their era, whether it was the Lindsay Nelson/Bob Murphy/Ralph Kiner era of the 1960s and 1970s, the Kiner/Tim McCarver/Rusty Staub/Steve Zabriskie/Gary Thorne/Fran Healy era of the 1980s and 1990s, or the modern Gary Cohen/Keith Hernandez/Ron Darling in the SNY era.
Howie Rose’s era spanned all but one of those eras. Like I said, he is a part of this franchise’s identity, has had the opportunity to make some of this club’s most iconic calls on the air, and is a sure bet to be in the Hall of Fame in the near future.
Over the last couple of weeks, a lot of people have reminisced about Howie and their favorite calls and one-liners, most notably “Put it in the books!” and his call on Mike Piazza’s home run in the first ballgame back in New York after 9/11. He also had an unforgettable call on Francisco Lindor’s home run against the Braves on the last day of the 2024 season, his call on Pete Alonso’s season-saving home run against the Brewers a few days later in the Wild Card series, and then again on Lindor’s home runs against the Phillies in the Division Series a week later. He had a great one on Rey Ordonez in 1997 when he said “here is your first look at what Rey Ordonez is capable of doing,” the end of Johan Santana’s no-hitter in 2012, and many, many more.
Yeah, they were all great, but my fondest memory of Howie as a fan came in the days he hosted Mets Extra. There isn’t any one pre- or postgame show that I remember specifically. It was a long time ago, and I was just a kid when he was in that role before he went into the television booth in the mid-1990s. But I remember listening to him, listening to his interviews with players and managers, listening to him carefully and gracefully recap games with those 5–10 second clips which became a staple in Mets postgame shows, and those times in the car, late at night, becoming part of my experience as a kid at the ballpark. The first thing I would do when I got in my dad’s car would be to turn the radio on to listen to Howie’s postgame show. There was no other option, no matter what was on 92.3 K-ROCK, which was my dad’s go-to radio station when the Mets weren’t on.
When you’re a kid, you think and dream differently than when you’re an adult. I realize now that this “relationship” with Howie and the Mets in those days seems kind of silly today, but it felt like at the time Howie was telling us the game story in the car on the ride home exclusively. We often went with my sister to those games in those days, and it just seemed like he was the fourth person in the car, talking about a great win, or a terrible loss, like the rest of us do when we leave the ballpark.
Perhaps it was his voice, his tone, his consistency, or all of the above that made those countless Mets Extra shows so memorable for me. That he would be a continuous mainstay for most of the entirety of the time I have followed this team is incredible to me, but I think that’s more of a testament to Howie’s loyalty and undying love for this franchise than anything else.
To me, Howie is and always be a Met, even if he never took one swing, threw one pitch, or caught one ball for them.
On Sunday, I chose to have the radio broadcast on over the WPIX telecast, just to listen to Howie one more time. I’ve probably done that hundreds of times over the years, but it never gets old. It’s a little strange to overlay the TV feed with a radio broadcast because of the way radio broadcasters have to describe the action without the benefit of a visual. And if you’ve ever done it, you get a new appreciation for how much harder and more difficult it is for a radio broadcaster.
Outside of the tributes and Keith Raad offering his love and appreciation to his now former colleague, it was not unlike any other Howie Rose broadcast. It was smooth, generally routine, and full of stories, humor, modesty, and anecdotes.
It was a vintage Howie Rose broadcast.
The only difference is, today was the last time Howie would put one in the books.
So long, Howie. Thanks for being a part of my childhood, thank you for giving me even one minute of your time when I was up there regularly years ago, and I wish you and your family nothing but the best in your retirement.
Around the League 🚩
The Guardians maintained their slim lead in the AL Central with a 1-0 win over the A’s
The Braves completed a sweep of the Astros, won their seventh NL East title in nine years, and put a crimp on Houston’s playoff hopes with a 4-2 win at Minute Maid Park
Despite losing to the Rays 5-1, the Red Sox clinched a playoff berth and sit as the American League’s fifth seed with a week to go
The Padres continued their surge to the top wild card spot in the National League with a 7-3 win over the Marlins
Howie talking about the size of his lips was so self-effacing and typical. How many of us teared up along with Howie when he could barely get through the last sign-off? I did.
As a kid living within walking distance of Shea and attending numerous games each year we probably rubbed elbows at some time growing up. He's lived out his dream life with the team he loved, and served it very well for many years. Congratulations on calling your own shot, and creating a role in the organization that meets your personal and family needs, so we will still see you hanging around the corner. Your terrific, and best wishes always‼️ THANK YOU‼️