The Man that Brought Us Tomorrow Night!

[Ted Schwerzler]

February is Black History Month, and over the coming weeks, Twins Daily will have a series of articles on African Americans in Minnesota Twins history. There have been award winners, All-Stars, and even a couple of Hall of Famers, and no one is more beloved in these parts than Kirby Puckett.

The 1991 Minnesota Twins won the World Series on the back of a dominating pitching performance, but it was Kirby Puckett that brought them to that fateful evening with his Game 6 heroics. A member of the 2001 Baseball Hall of Fame class alongside teammate Dave Winfield, the Twins legend has his number 34 retired down the left-field line at Target Field.
 
Selected third overall in the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft, Puck was a kid from Chicago, Illinois. He made a mockery of the Appy League to the tune of a .928 OPS over his first 65 professional games. At 23, he was sent to Visalia in the California League and posted an .808 OPS. Playing just 21 games at Triple-A Toledo, it was time for the call.
 
Puckett didn’t see immediate success with Minnesota. Through his first 289 games, Kirby posted just a .689 OPS and 86 OPS+. He was below league average and had just four homers to his name. Defensively though, he began to force the conversation and picked up MVP votes in 1985. Then the breakout came.
 
In 1986 Puckett posted a .903 OPS, the first of four times he’d do so during his 12-year career. His 31 homers made the four previous look laughable, and he grabbed a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and made his first All-Star Game. He’d participate in the All-Star game for a consistent decade, taking home MVP honors during the 1993 contest played at Baltimore’s Camden Yards.
 
As a vital member of the 1987 World Series-winning club, Puckett collected a league-best 207 hits. His .332 average was a career-best to that point, and he followed up the impressive power display the season before by launching another 28 dingers. In 1988, Puckett led the league in hits again, posting 234. His 215 hits completed three-straight seasons of league-leading hits, and despite falling off from his .356 average in 1988, Puckett won the American League batting title in 1989 with a .339 mark.

Slipping below the .300 mark for the first time since the beginning of his career, Puckett returned in 1991 with a vengeance. His .319 average and 15 homers helped push Tom Kelly’s Twins to a 95-win season and a Postseason worth remembering. In Game 6 against the Atlanta Braves, the ALCS MVP robbed Ron Gant of a base hit in the third inning to preserve Minnesota’s two-run lead. Tied at three in the 11th inning, Puckett stepped in against Atlanta reliever Charlie Leibrandt and sent the Twins fans home happy.
 
While Minnesota’s winning went down from there, Puckett remained a constant. Through 1995 he posted a .314/.366/.501 slash line with another 84 homers to add onto his career totals. On September 28, 1995, Puckett was playing for a terrible Twins team rounding out the year and was hit in the face and broke his jaw. Ready for Spring Training the following season, things seemed to be going fine until March 28, when he woke up unable to see out of his right eye.
 
Diagnosed with glaucoma in which the optic nerve is damaged, often as a result of high pressure, Puckett underwent four surgeries trying to correct the blindness. When they ultimately failed, he was forced to retire on July 12, 1996. A player still competing at the peak of the highest level, and at just 35-years-old, Puck was done.
 
Puckett was extremely involved in the community following his retirement. He became a spokesperson for the Glaucoma Foundation and worked throughout Twins Territory to give back to a community that had embraced him as their own. While his character was often lauded as a player, things did go south through a divorce with his wife Tonya and charges alleging sexual conduct.
 
Unfortunately, the everyman who garnered fans' excitement through his short and stocky stature saw that take him too soon. Excessive weight gain following his playing career ultimately led to a stroke that took his life at just 45 in March of 2006. Puckett is often remembered as a tale of two beings but was responsible for providing Twins fans some of the highest highs they’ve experienced since the franchise relocated from Washington.
 
Keep checking back to Twins Daily throughout Black History Month as we hope to share several more stories about African Americans to don a Twins uniform over the past 62 seasons.

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[RJA]

Kirby was one of those professional athletes who was bigger than life.  In addition to his baseball skills, his infectious laugh, intensity, and leadership made him a truly iconic player.  I bumped into him, literally, at Southdale Mall and he was wearing a floor length mink coat.  He was friendly and approachable, and spent a few minutes talking baseball with me.  It is a lasting memory that I will cherish.  Rest in peace, Kirby Puckett.  Thanks for the memories.

[strumdatjag]

By far, my all-time favorite Twin for every month of every year.   Don’t think there will be another to overcome Kirby’s #1 position in my lifetime.  I hope so  (and Kirby would agree) - because that would mean the Twins will find someone to lead us to another two championships at least. 

[Blyleven2011]

Kirby was the man

[roger]

Also my all-time favorite Twin.  Recall being at spring training that spring, wondering why it was announced that he had been scratched from today's game.  Didn't realize at the time that we had seen his last game the day earlier.  His short career and shorter life were more than sad!