NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mets great Ed Kranepool got a new kidney thanks to a die-hard Yankees fan.
That person turned out to be a Long Island firefighter whose wife was so grateful for the life-saving kidney that she wanted to pay it forward, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported. Her kidney turned out to be a match for Kranepool.
Kranepool, 74, underwent kidney transplant surgery Tuesday at Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island.
Kranepool had been searching for a donor for two years before a match was located last month.
Doctors expected that Kranepool would be in the hospital for about five days after the procedure but that he should be cleared to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of the Mets' 1969 championship on June 29 at Citi Field.
Kranepool was signed by Mets scout Bubber Jonnard as a 17-year-old amateur free agent in 1962. He made his lone All-Star Game appearance in 1965 and is a member of the Mets' Hall of Fame after being inducted in 1990, WFAN reported.