By Stephen Kohn
I met Ed Kranepool in the late 60’s at an autograph event in my hometown on Long Island. I was an avid Mets fan since 1965 and meeting him was a real thrill. He was one of the original New York Mets and his jersey number 7 became my favorite number throughout my lifetime. When Ed died in September 2024, I was working in White Plains, New York and since his funeral service was taking place near my office, I made the last minute decision to attend and pay my respects.
When I arrived at the funeral home, I saw the blue and orange flowers near his casket and the number 7. I met Mrs. Gil Hodges (Joan Hodges), Howie Rose, Art Shamsky, Ron Swoboda and many fellow Mets fans. His grandchildren eulogized him and spoke of his generosity and stories of his Mets career. I approached his casket and was reminded of all the times I watched him in action as a true Met.
I realize this story is not remarkable on the face of it, but it does highlight in a subtle way a key point for me: Kranepool was a lifelong Met. He played for only the Met organization for all 18 years of his career. To put that in context of how rarely this occurs in baseball there have only been 194 ballplayers who have played at least 10 MLB seasons and spent their career with one franchise in the history of the game. If you consider only those ballplayers that played for 18 or more seasons for just one team like Kranepool, then there are just 40 such players that fall into that category.
On this point, the ball players with the longest tenure on one team for their entire career have been Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles and Carl Yastrzemski both with 23 years. The most recent player to fall into this category was Clayton Kershaw who just retired in 2025 after an 18 year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Although the Mets are known for their famous mascot Mr. Met, it was Kranepool who took on this moniker unofficially due to his connection with the franchise throughout his entire career and life.
Therefore, I was lucky. I had no way of knowing growing up that my favorite player would not only have such a long and distinguished career, but would also spend his entire time in the league just playing for my team. Most fans are not afforded that luxury. There is obviously something nostalgic and a great bond forms when a player plays the entirety of their career for your team. That connection, like Kranepool’s, extends well after their playing days are over.
In my case, it was coincidence that I happened to see a funeral service notification of my favorite player held near my office on that very same day, which compelled me to leave work and attend this gathering. I realized that based on those eulogizing Kranepool that he brought so much joy and happiness to those close to him in his life. I was glad to hear those words about Kranepool, since I learned on that day that the man outside the uniform was also as great as the ballplayer that I had rooted for since I was a child. I will always remember Ed Kranepool and he will always be Mr. Met in my heart.
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