25 Jun Getting to Know 1969 New York Mets Legend Ed Kranepool
Ed Kranepool was
a 17-year-old phenom
from the Bronx
when he joined the
Mets at the birth of
the franchise. He
played all 18 of his
major league seasons
in Queens, including
with the “Miracle” Mets of 1969.
The Mets finished 1969 with a leaguebest
100-62 record and swept the Braves
in the three-game divisional playoff
to win their first pennant and face the
109-win American League champion
Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.
Though Kranepool played all three
NLCS games against
Atlanta—and batted
.250–Kranepool was
benched in favor of the
right-handed-hitting
Donn Clendenon for all
but one of the Series’
five games. Kranepool
made it count, hitting
a home run off Dave
Leonhard in the eighth
inning of Game Three.
After 800 defeats–most
of which Kranepool had witnessed
himself–the Mets were crowned world
champions.
This weekend the Mets are celebrating
the 50th anniversary of the 1969 champion
New York Mets. Ari Hirsch from the
Jewish/Country Vues had the opportunity
to interview Ed Kranepool.
Name: Edward Emil Kranepool
Number: 7
Born: November 8, 1944 (age 74) in
New York City, New York
Positions:
First Baseman and Outfielder
Signed by: Mets’ scout Bubber Jonnard
signed Kranepool in 1962 at the
age of 17 as an amateur free agent.
Played for
the N.Y. Mets:
1962–1979
MLB debut:
S e p tember
22, 1962, for
the New York
Mets
Last MLB appearance:
S e p tember
30, 1979, for
the N.Y. Mets
Favorite team growing up:
New York Yankees
How are you feeling these days? I
feel much better in terms of getting
around and breathing. I got my first
miracle in 1969 and I got my second
miracle a couple of months ago. I’m so
grateful that I have a new kidney. I was
on pins and needles until they found a
match. It was a long 2 and a half years
but obviously it came thru. This was
definitely my personal miracle.
At what point did you know that the
1969 Mets were special? At the end
of May, beginning of June, we went
on an 11 game winning streak beating
the California teams. When we
beat the Dodgers & Koufax, we knew
that we had something special.
Who would you say is responsible
for the success of the 69 Mets? Definitely
the pitching of Tom Seaver and
the leadership and management style
of Gil Hodges. Gil brought a winning
culture here in 1968 and insisted that
we play the right way. If you didn’t
play the game his way, you just didn’t
play. Seaver changed the outlook
of the club. The Mets should have
recognized the Hall of Fame righthander
long
before the
announcement
of
his illness.
Seaver is
s u f f e r i n g
from advancing
dementia.
Can you believe its been 50 years
since the 1969 Mets? Can you believe
that 50 years later, people are
still talking about the Miracle Mets?
You know, being from New York, people
always want to talk about ‘69.
They always do. It was the year we
landed on the moon, the year of
Woodstock, the year the Jets won. So
much happened in 69. So it doesn’t
seem like it’s 50 years. It was a year
that brought everyone together. But
this year is still very exciting. I really
appreciate the Mets what they’ve
been doing. You know, they’re bringing
us back and putting us into the
whole organization again, which has
been a lot of fun. I’m looking forward
to the end of June and the 69 reunion
at Citifield.