Today, the New York Mets announced they will be adding a “7” memorial patch to their uniforms, which will be worn throughout the season in memory of Ed Kranepool, one of the original New York Mets.
Kranepool signed with the Mets as a 17-year old, joining the team in its inaugural year of 1962 and playing his entire career with the team. By the time he retired in 1979, he had become the last remaining Met from their inaugural 1962 season and was a member of the Miracle Mets World Championship team of 1969. Sadly, Krane passed away on September 8, 2024.
The team didn’t add a Kranepool memorial patch following his passing — which is completely understandable, given the late date and the fact that the Mets already had three memorial patches on their jerseys at the time. The team began the season with a patch for Buddy Harrelson…
… and in short order added a similar patch for Jerry Grote…
… as well as a circular black “24” memorial patch for Willie Mays.
Unfortunately, both sleeves of the Mets’ 2024 jerseys contained either a jersey ad or the team logo, so they had to be creative with their memorial patches.
They ended up double-stacking the Harrelson/Grote diamond-shaped patches with the team logo, while the Mays roundel was forced to share sleeve space with the jersey advertiser.
Hopefully the new Kranepool memorial patch will be the only such patch the Mets wear this season. Here’s a look at the memorial the Mets have planned for Krane.
The Mets have announced that they will wear a tribute patch this season to honor the late Ed Kranepool
Kranepool, who spent his entire 18-year career with the Mets from 1962 to 1979, passed away last September at the age of 79 pic.twitter.com/IqTBI6ny9N
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 26, 2025
Per a Mets press release, the “patch will feature Kranepool’s iconic number seven and will be worn on the sleeve of all Mets jerseys. … Kranepool’s 17 family members will be honored pregame on Opening Day, April 4 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.”
The memorial patch depicted in the SNY tweet above looks to show a square memorial patch. Over the years, the Mets have handled different memorial patches in different ways (like the diamond shape for Harrelson/Grote, and the round patch for Mays). So creating a unique patch design for Kranepool would be on brand.
When Tom Seaver passed away and was honored with a sleeve patch, it took two different forms (and because Seaver passed away late in the 2020 season, the team wore a memorial patch in 2021 as well).
Comparison of Mets’ memorial patches for Tom Seaver. 2020 version (worn last season from Sept. 4 thru Sept. 27) on left, 2021 version on right. pic.twitter.com/kpr84Kl6rC
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) March 1, 2021
Other memorial patches the team has sported have had different looks.
The Rusty Staub memorial was a black circle, with Rusty’s signature rendered in orange (his nickname was Le Grande Orange due to his hair color):
Catcher Gary Carter’s memorial patch was rendered in the shape of home plate, and included his nickname and number:
The Mets have also honored non-players with uniform patches. In 2014, the team wore an “FC” patch for late general manager Frank Cashen. That was a simple square patch in black with white letters.
The team also honored longtime broadcaster Ralph Kiner’s passing in 2014 with a circular patch featuring an old-school microphone.
But in typical Mets fashion, they appear to have botched the typography on this. Take a look at some photos of Kranepool and notice the “7” on his jersey.
The “7” depicted on the patch too narrow, and the typography is different from the “7” worn by Kranepool.
If this is indeed what the final patch design will be when it appears on the Mets jerseys, then it’s not correctly reproduced. Hopefully the Mets will adjust this before it’s put on a patch.
[My sincere thanks to Paul and Mets Police Head Honcho Shannon Shark for pointing me towards the incorrect look of the “7”]
Thoughts?
Maybe the 7 is just missing an outline, and that’s why it looks off.
That’s what I think as well.
That’s an SNY twitter announcement and not an official team announcement – so no official unveiling of the patch.
I included the PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TEAM (link)
Does that not count as an official announcement?
Now…does the “7” shown by SNY actually come from the Mets or is it their own interpretation? That could be, but the announcement was was official. Since SNY carries Mets games if anyone would have access to an official graphic, it would be them. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.
There is no picture of the patch in the team’s announcement. The official patch has still not been unveiled.
We’ll for sure know today what it looks like.
If the Mets were still owned by the Wilpons, I could more understand the pessimism that the number font would be inconsistent with what the team wears.
But Cohen has spent much of his ownership embracing and celebrating team history. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one that it will be right too.
I know it’s hard as a Mets fan to not wait for the other shoe to drop or the organization to step on a rake.
Good to honour number 7, even if the font is incorrect. I am a Mets fan, but a little more forgiving and a little less wired to complain than other fans of the Amazing, so it seems. Season is starting, go Mets!