Mets legend Ed Kranepool, member of 1969 World Series team, dead at 79

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New York Mets legendary first baseman Ed Kranepool, who played all 18 years in MLB with the team since its inception in 1962, has died, the team announced on Monday. 

The Mets announced that Kranepool suffered a cardiac arrest in Boca Raton, Florida, on Sunday. He was 79 years old. 

"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.

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Former New York Mets player Ed Kranepool speaks about the 1969 New York Mets and Hall of Fame posthumous inductee Gil Hodges at Doubleday Field. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)

"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."

Kranepool, who was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990, has been around the team in recent years, as the Cohens mentioned, spending time at Citi Field in Queens for Old Timers’ Day, and in 2019, joined some of his old teammates from the 1969 "Miracle Mets" for the team’s