5 greatest calls of Howie Rose's Mets broadcasting career

1. New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza’s home run after 9/11 was Howie Rose’s best call.

It had been 10 days after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center (and the Pentagon and over the air in Shanksville, Pa), and it was the first major sporting event to be played in New York since then. It was one of the most emotionally charged nights in franchise history, because of the city and communities (and a healing nation) the Mets represented. And they happened to play their biggest rival, the Atlanta Braves.

Howie Rose was still the TV voice of the Mets, which he was from 1996 to 2003 before he moved to radio. And the face of the franchise, Mike Piazza, stepped to the plate down a run with a runner on base in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Rose describes the result of the at-bat, with a chance for bedlam. “Lopez wants it away… and it’s hit deep to left center, Andruw Jones on the run, this one has a chance... HOME RUN, Mike Piazza. And the Mets lead 3-2.”

It was a magical night for Piazza and the Mets, as the Mets not only won the game 3-2, it also gave New York, and the nation, reasons to come back to work.