On this date in 1962, the Mets signed 17-year-old Ed Kranepool. He would make his Major League debut later that year at 17 years and 318 days old.

Kranepool, 75, recently battled renal disease and had a successful life-saving kidney transplant.

Eddie was on a waiting list for two years before he finally found a donor who was a perfect match, Deborah Barbieri, a 56 year old Mets fan from Nassau County.

Barbieri’s husband had also undergone a successful kidney transplant and they both wanted to “pay it forward.” Eddie’s wife Monica, who had been hoping and praying for a donor for two years, called the transplant “a miracle.”

Kranepool was signed by the Mets in 1962 as a wide-eyed 17 year-old from the Bronx, and over a 18 year span, he would play a franchise record 1,853 games for the Mets. He became very close with then manager Casey Stengel who became sort of a father figure for Eddie.

Casey, who could rival Yogi Berra with his quick wit and oftentimes amusing quips, once had this to say about his youngster Eddie Kranepool…

“We’ve got a couple of kids here named Kranepool and Goossen, and they’re both 20 years old. In 10 years Kranepool has a chance to be a star. In 10 years Goossen has a chance to be 30.”

I became a huge Eddie Kranepool fan towards the end of his career in the mid-seventies. By then, Eddie was limited to a bench role and was the team’s top pinch-hitter – and what a pinch-hitter he was.

I recall one particular game I attended during the summer of 1974, when the Mets were hosting our latest arch-rival, the Cincinnati Reds. I remember it like it was yesterday. Tom Seaver was on the mound for the Mets but he wasn’t his usual dominant self and the team was down  3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

With a somewhat packed house, the fans were clamoring for some offense as the Mets were running out of outs. Manager Yogi Berra could be seen patting Seaver on the back as Ed Kranepool grabbed a bat and stepped to the plate as the chants of “Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!” rained down from a boisterous crowd hoping for a big hit. I still get goosebumps whenever I think about it.

Almost as if on cue, Kranepool lined a two-out single that sparked a two-run rally that would eventually end on a towering home run by The Hammer – John Milner for you unwashed younger Met fans. Shea Stadium shook to it’s foundation as the crowd, delirious with satisfaction, were up on their feet cheering at the top of their lungs as the entire stadium resonated with bursts of, “Lets Go Mets! Lets Go Mets.” It was awesome.

Of course, what I didn’t know then, was that Ed Kranepool would go on to become one of the most preeminent pinch-hitters in the history of the game, and to this day, he still holds the record for the highest pinch-hitting batting average in a season, .486 in 1974 (min 30 PA).

Ed Kranepool wasn’t a big-time bat, as his career .693 OPS would attest, but if ever there was a shining example of a clutch hitter – Eddie was it. He was also an integral part of that 1969 Miracle Mets team, rising to the occasion whenever the game was on the line in that magical season.

In 48 plate appearances with two outs and runners in scoring position, Kranepool batted an incredible .342 in 1969, with a .479 on-base percentage, and a .953 OPS in 1969, with four walk-off hits.

Ed Kranepool has earned his place in Mets royalty, and it’s not because he played for them longer than any other player. Eddie was as clutch as they came, but he was also one of the classiest players ever to wear the Orange and Blue and a true fan favorite. He remains of the true great ambassadors the Mets have ever had.