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“1969 Miracle Mets” Photo Gallery
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Ed Kranepool, RIP
The baseball world was saddened today to learn this week of the passing of the Mets Ed Kranepool, aged 79, (November 18, 1944-September 8, 2024) in Boca Raton, Florida after suffering from cardiac arrest.
(In the featured photo, we see Ed Kranepool on the left with Mets teammate, Bud Harrelson).
Ed Kranepool played 18 seasons in the major leagues, all with the Mets. Over his career (1962-1979), he hit .261 in 1853 games, with 118 home runs and 614 RBIs. Along with teammates Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, he played a vital role as the 1969 “Miracle Mets” won the 1969 National League pennant and World Series championship, with many key hits in the Mets successful pennant drive. In the 1969 World Series, in which the Mets prevailed against the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles, he hit .250, with a home run in Game Three, a 5-0 win for the Mets. He was also a member of the 1973 pennant-winning Mets team that lost the World Series to the Oakland Athletics. Ed made his only All-Star appearance in 1965, followed by his best offensive production year in 1966 when he hit 16 home runs and 57 RBIs.
After making his debut as a 17-year-old on September 22, 1962, the New York native became the longest-tenured player in Mets history. After relinquishing his role as starting first baseman in 1974, Kranepool was relegated primarily to pinch-hitting duties, a difficult role in which he flourished. From 1974 through 1978, Kranepool hit .396 as a pinch hitter; and in 1974, he set the major league single-season pinch hit batting average record, going 17-for-35 (.486), a record that still stands. Over his career as a pinch hitter, he hit .277 (90 for 325) with six home runs and 55 RBIs.
After the Mets traded Jerry Koosman at the end of the 1978 season, Kranepool became the last of the 1969 Miracle Mets, playing his final game on September 30, 1979, against the Cardinals. Through the 2024 season, he still holds the mark of most games played with the Mets at 1,853 and became a beloved legend among Mets fans. He was the last of the 1962 Mets to remain with the team, and the last of that team to retire from major league baseball.
After retirement, Kranepool worked at various times as a stockbroker, a restaurateur, and working for a credit card processing company. He currently ranks third on the all-time Mets hits list with 1,418. In 1990, Ed was enshrined in the Mets Hall of Fame.
As a tribute to Ed Kranepool and the 1969 “Miracle Mets,” check out the above photo gallery, originally assembled by Liz Ronk, Photo Editor of Life.com.
(We’d love to hear what you think on this or any other related baseball history topic….please leave comments below).
Gary Livacari
Information: Excerpts edited from Ed Kranepool Wikipedia page; Statistics from Baseball-Reference
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Sad day for baseball fans and especially Mets fans. Bill Schaefer must be shedding a few tears today.
Great essay and photo display, Gary.
Thanks a lot Paul. Yeah, a sad day for Schaefer for sure…
Kranepool had a lot of talent. Unfortunately, he was the exception to the Mets general rule to be patient and allow their young stars to develop slowly in the minors. He was brought up too soon and struggled. He was demoted to AAA several times, as late as 1970. I guess the idea of having a local star was too much for the Mets to resist.
Good point Vince…thanks!
Sad thought. A few weeks before he died, Kranepool was interviewed about the hapless 2024 White Sox. He went on record hoping
that Chicago would surpass the 40-120 record of the ‘62 Mets. He was briefly a member of that team as a teenage call up late in the season.
Sadly, he passed away without his hope being fulfilled.