Inside The Mets

Mets to honor franchise legend Ed Kranepool with uniform patch

Every member of the New York Mets will wear a No. 7 patch on their uniform in 2025 to honor the late Ed Kranepool.

John Sparaco

Oct 14, 1969; Flushing, NY, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Mets first baseman Ed Kranepool (7) cross home after hitting an eight inning home run as catcher Jerry Grote (15) reacts against the Baltimore Orioles during game 3 of the 1969 World Series at Shea Stadium. The Mets defeated the Orioles 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Dick Raphael-Imagn Images
Oct 14, 1969; Flushing, NY, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Mets first baseman Ed Kranepool (7) cross home after hitting an eight inning home run as catcher Jerry Grote (15) reacts against the Baltimore Orioles during game 3 of the 1969 World Series at Shea Stadium. The Mets defeated the Orioles 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Dick Raphael-Imagn Images / Dick Raphael-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets will pay tribute to one of their franchise legends in every game this season.

A day before opening the 2025 regular season in Houston, the Mets announced they will wear a No. 7 patch on their jersey sleeves to honor Ed Kranepool, who passed away last September at the age of 79. According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, 17 of Kranepool’s family members will be in attendance for the team’s home opener on April 4.

Kranepool, a native New Yorker, debuted at age 17 with the original Mets in 1962 and spent his entire 18-year major league career with the franchise. He remains the longest-tenured player in Mets history.

In 1965, Kranepool relinquished his original No. 21 to future Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn, whom the Mets had acquired in a trade. Kranepool wore No. 7 for the rest of his career and made his lone All-Star team during his first season with the new number.

During Game 3 of the 1969 World Series, the towering lefty-hitting first baseman belted a home run to help the Miracle Mets cruise to a 5-0 victory. New York captured the title two games later, capping an unexpected run that followed seven consecutive losing seasons. Before that season, the Mets had never finished higher than ninth place in the 10-team National League.

Later in his career, Kranepool shifted to the outfield and eventually became one of the game’s most effective pinch-hitters while taking on a bench role. He also played a key part in sending the Mets to their second World Series appearance in 1973, driving in the first two runs of their series-clinching victory in NLCS Game 5.

Kranepool remains among the franchise’s all-time top 10 in many statistical categories. He ranks first in games played (1,853), second in plate appearances (5,997), third in hits (1,418), at-bats (5,436), and total bases (2,047), fourth in doubles (225), fifth in RBIs (614), ninth in walks (454) and runs scored (536), and 11th in triples (25). He is 13th in franchise history with 118 home runs and hit .261/.316/.377 for his career.

Read More: New York Mets' Legend Passes Away at 79

"Steady Eddie" was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990. His No. 7 will be worn by Mets infielder Brett Baty in 2025, who switched from No. 22 to accommodate superstar and top offseason addition Juan Soto.

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John Sparaco
JOHN SPARACO

John Sparaco is a contributing writer for the Mets website On SI. He has previously written for Cold Front Report, Times Union and JKR Baseball, where he profiled some of the top recruits, college players and draft prospects in baseball. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @JohnSparaco

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