Mets, Expos icon Staub hospitalized with kidney failure

Rusty Staub, the former New York Mets and Montreal Expos icon who earned six All-Star appearances throughout his 23-year career in the big leagues, is battling kidney failure in a West Palm Beach hospital and isn't responding to dialysis, a friend told Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Staub, 73, has been transferred to a critical care unit.

"Fred and Jeff Wilpon have been in contact with Rusty to wish him well," the Mets said in a statement. "In addition, multiple people in our organization have also been in contact with Rusty. All of us wish Rusty and his loved ones well in his courageous battle."

Staub has dealt with numerous health problems in recent years, notably suffering a heart attack on a flight home from Ireland in 2015.

Over his nearly two-and-a-half decade career in the majors, Staub, who debuted with the Houston Astros as a 19-year-old in 1963, racked up 2,716 hits - including 292 home runs - while managing a .793 OPS (124 OPS+) across stints with Houston, Montreal, and New York (twice), as well as the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. A fan favorite in New York and Montreal (where his red hair earned him the affectionate nickname, "Le Grand Orange"), Staub was the first player to have his jersey number retired by the Expos, and was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1986.