Legendary New York Mets first baseman Ed Kranepool, who played for the team in all 18 years of MLB play since its founding in 1962, has died, the team announced Monday.

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

“We are incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Ed Kranepool,” said a statement from Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen. “He was a true Met who made his debut in 1962 at age 17. After starring at James Monroe High School in the Bronx, he played for his hometown team for the next 18 years. He was the longest-tenured player in franchise history, playing 1,853 games with the Mets.”

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

“Ed hit a home run in Game 3 of the 1969 World Series to help the Miracle Mets win the championship. He was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990. Even after his playing career ended, Ed continued his tireless work for the organization in the community. We greatly enjoyed the time we spent with Ed on Old Timers’ Day and in the years that followed. It was a true joy to hear stories and history about the Mets from Ed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Kranepool, who was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990, has been involved with the team on and off in recent years, the Cohens mentioned. He spent time at Citi Field in Queens on Old Timers’ Day and in 2019, he joined some of his old teammates from the 1969 “Miracle Mets” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the team’s first World Series title.

Shortly after his retirement, Kranepool was diagnosed with diabetes and in 2017 he had to have a toe removed due to an infected abscess. However, the infection could not be controlled as his kidneys failed.

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In 2019, Kranepool underwent a successful kidney transplant, which, according to his former teammate Ron Swoboda, helped improve his condition.

“He fought for so long and never complained about anything,” Swoboda said, according to the Mets. “I thought once he got his kidney transplant, everything would be great. He was a wonderful guy and an even better teammate. We got into the restaurant business together. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

From left: Ken Boswell, Cleon Jones, Ed Kranepool and Donn Clendenon (PICTURE)

Another teammate, Jerry Kooman, called Kranepool “the best first baseman I ever played with,” while Cleon Jones noted, “I just talked to Ed last week and we talked about how we’re the last two original players signed with the Mets.”

“Eddie was a big bonus baby, I wasn’t,” Jones added. “He never had an ego and was just one of the guys. He was a wonderful person.”

Kranepool was 17 years old when he signed with the Mets in 1962. He played just three games for the organization that year before taking on a larger role in 1963, playing 86 games.

In 1965, he made his first and only All-Star team, hitting .253/.303/.371 with 10 home runs, 24 doubles and 53 RBI in 153 games.

Former New York Mets first baseman Ed Kranepool speaks to the media at a press conference and announces that a matching kidney has been found for his transplant. (Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports)

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In his 1,853 career games, Kranepool had a batting average of .261/.316/.377 with 118 home runs, 614 RBI and 536 runs scored.

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