Howie Rose matches Pete Alonso’s home run moment and receives standing ovation from players

As Howie Rose’s call about Pete Alonso’s season-saving home run came over the public address system during the New York Mets’ cheerful charter flight from Milwaukee, the veteran broadcaster briefly placed his hands over his ears.

From his seat in a plane full of Mets players and staffers, Rose, 70, felt ashamed. No broadcaster, he would later say, wants to be present when people are listening to their words. It’s weird. Uncomfortable. That’s true no matter how good the call was, and Rose’s call was epic.

“I wanted to crawl under the chair when that thing was playing,” Rose said.

They played @HowieRose‘s phone call on the plane and it was EPIC! #LGM pic.twitter.com/JBU3udddBl

— x – New York Mets (@Mets) October 4, 2024

Instead, Rose stood up. You see, if Rose had continued to cover his ears with his hands, he might have managed to block his words. But he didn’t stand a chance against the accompanying raucous ovation from the players at the back of the plane. They cheered and shouted, clapped so loudly for Rose and gave him a standing ovation.

“I wanted to acknowledge it,” Rose said. “I really wanted to hug Pete because he’s a guy I’ve known since he came up.”

After rising from his seat and looking toward the back of the plane, Rose greeted the players. He pointed in Alonso’s direction. Then Rose did something he had never done before. He walked to the back rows, where the players stay.

Generally, the players and traveling party (including radio and television broadcasters) on a baseball team’s plane are cordial, but there is an inherent understanding of space. As Rose put it, the parts of the plane might as well be different zip codes. Not late Thursday night.

“Under normal circumstances, this would never happen,” said Steve Gelbs, reporter for SNY’s Mets. “But in this case it would actually have been strange if it hadn’t happened.”

With every line Rose passed, he received a pat on the back or a high five. When he reached Alonso, Rose leaned forward and told him simply, “I’m really happy for you.”

“With one sentence,” Rose said, “I wanted to let him know I’m in his corner.”

That’s Rose. He’s not exaggerating. That’s not necessary. He understands moments. And he nails them with a tasteful mix of the right words, observations and emotions.

“It was Pete and the team’s night, but Howie made it even better,” Gelbs said. “There was so much genuine love and appreciation for Howie’s ability to provide the perfect soundtrack to a historic moment for the franchise.”

With the Mets vibe of Team of Destiny radiating, Rose presented a how-to in the art of calling a big play Thursday night.

Roos has it all. And that says something. A few days earlier, in another astonishing call, Rose captured the aura of Franciso Lindor’s home run that helped the Mets clinch a playoff spot. While fans replayed it over and over again in awe, Rose was somewhat annoyed that he neglected to mention that Michael Harris II climbed the wall. Yes, that’s the kind of detail, the kind of level that Rose strives for when making these calls. He is a perfectionist.

Alonso’s call may have been perfect. Before the home run, Rose had introduced the idea of ​​the Mets season as a “fairy tale.” He would remember to use that word again. During the call, he mentioned Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick jumping into the wall. The emotion came out raw. He rightly called it Alonso’s most memorable home run. He captured Alonso’s emotion as he ran the bases. He passed the score in the pandemonium. He acknowledged the rarity of everyone “pouring out” of the Mets dugout. He shared the scene at home plate. Then Rose closed it out by saying, “Pete Alonso keeps this fairytale season going with the fairytale swing of his career – 3-2 New York!”

This may be the most perfect radio talk I’ve ever heard, via the great Howie Rose. pic.twitter.com/AepTdRqm2c

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 4, 2024

Alonso helped the Mets to the National League Division Series, which starts Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. The moment was immediately added to the list of all-timers for the franchise. Behind so many of them is Rose.

“It’s mostly a matter of being a reporter,” Rose said. “I have a responsibility to do this concisely, accurately and hopefully, at best, somewhat eloquently.” And you know, when I listened back, I think, as emotional as I was, I think I checked all the boxes that I wanted to check.

A predictable understatement, for sure. Rose crushed it. Within hours, snippets of the phone call had bounced around social media and been shared thousands of times.

More than any other sport, baseball gives team broadcasters the most opportunities to connect with audiences, whether at home, in the office or in the car.

The connection starts in the spring and lasts all summer. Then, in October, that connection is abruptly severed. During the playoffs, national broadcasts replace locally produced broadcasts, and the voices that guide fans for most of the season remain silent. That is the case on television.

But that is not the case on radio. This is why Rose, a familiar voice to New Yorkers, was behind the microphone during one of the most memorable moments in franchise history.

“When it’s done right,” Rose said, “it’s art.”

Before Rose’s call was replayed over the plane’s public address system, so many people, including Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza, approached him, not only to congratulate him on the call, but also to thank him.

Rose has proven to be one of radio’s most polished practitioners. Since 1995, he has called Mets play-by-play on radio or television. In 2022, Rose began to reduce his schedule due to health concerns. Rose, a native New Yorker who grew up as a Mets fan and essentially serves as the franchise’s walking encyclopedia, sees this year’s run as special. The Mets continue to rise to the occasion. Rose continues to match them. Fans of the club wouldn’t have it any other way.

“They know I’m involved, and that makes us like-minded,” Rose said. “And what’s more important than that is that I think over time, and obviously I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’ve built up the kind of trust that allows me to say something, whether it’s crucial or be opinionated in any way, and know that the listener understands where I’m coming from. I’m not trying to short sell them or sell them a bill of goods. I just say it like I see it, and they trust me. And the added benefit that I have is that I am emotionally invested in this team because I was a fan of theirs from day one. And many of those fans will say they’ve been fans since their earliest baseball memories. So again, I like to use the expression: we are like-minded.”

(Photo of Pete Alonso after his home run in Game 3: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)