The Original Met, Ed Kranepool, died Sunday of cardiac arrest at age 79:
“We are incredibly heartbroken to learn of Ed Kranepool’s passing,” a statement from Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen read. “He was an original Met, who debuted at age 17 in 1962. After starring at James Monroe High School in the Bronx, he would go on to play for his hometown team for the next 18 years, the longest tenured player in franchise history, appearing in 1,853 games with the Mets.
“Ed hit a home run in Game 3 of the 1969 World Series to help the Miracle Mets capture the title. He was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990. Ed continued to work tirelessly in the community on behalf of the organization after his playing career ended. We cherished the time we spent with Ed during Old Timers’ Day and in the years since. Hearing Mets stories and history from Ed was an absolute joy. We extend our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.”
FoxNews.com
My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
I started watching baseball earnest in 1969. Both the Mets and Yankees game were available to me, and I watched plenty of both. Kranepool was one of those people who looked more mature than his actual age, and because my memory of him is that of a nine year old, I was a bit shocked that he was only 79. For some reason, I thought he should be somewhat older.
Part of that came from him being a player in his prime who was already a part-time player. His best season came in 1971 at the age of 26 when he posted a 2.4 WAR in 122 games. His OBP was an okay .316, but he was a lefty first baseman who didn’t slug. Note that it wasn’t Shea Stadium and the Polo Grounds; he slugged .388 at home during his career, .365 on the road.
He was beloved, however. He was the Mets player who for nearly the first two decades of the team was always there, always giving his all, proud to be the face of the franchise.
Kranepool did have a sense of humor as you can see in this appearance in a Saturday Night Live film from 1979. Kranepool comes in at about 2:30
I know Mets fans are rightly saddened today. It’s a great game, one in which even an okay player can become a legend.