He was a breath of fresh air in this game.”A six-time Gold Glove Award winner, Puckett was named to 10 consecutive All-Star teams from 1986-1995 and was named MVP of the All-Star Game in 1993.
" He was 45. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001.
But soon after, Kirby Puckett made news for all the wrong reasons. Few men have played the game of baseball with the youthful enthusiasm of Kirby Puckett. He finished with a .318 batting average, 414 doubles, 207 home runs and 1,085 RBI in 1,783 games. Puckett was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first attempt in 2001.
In 1987, Puckett led the AL in hits with 207 while helping the Twins win their first World Series title, hitting .357 in Minnesota's seven-game victory over the Cardinals. Puckett was the fourth baseball player during the 20th century to record 1,000 hits in his first five full calendar years in Major League Baseball, and was the second to record 2,000 hits during his first ten full calendar years. Kirby Puckett Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 2001 Primary team: Minnesota Twins Primary position: Center Fielder . "I could see how much he loved playing the game of baseball. The Twins, two years removed from the championship season, slumped further, going 80-82 and ended in fifth place, 19 games behind the Athletics. (Doug McWilliams/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)Kirby Puckett recorded four hits in his big league debut with the Twins on May 8, 1984. He led the team to the World Series in 1987 and 1991.
In 1991, Puckett led the Twins back to the postseason, winning ALCS MVP honors after hitting .429 to lead Minnesota past the Blue Jays. “He never had a bad day,” said fellow Hall of Famer Frank Thomas.
Offered is a Kirby Puckett signature on a Baseball Hall of Fame postcard of the former Minnesota Twins centerfielder’s plaque in Cooperstown. “He does everything on the field to help you win, and what he does in the clubhouse and the community is remarkable.”Born on March 14, 1960 in Chicago, just a mile from Comiskey Park, Puckett was the youngest of nine children. He robbed the Braves' Ron Gant of an extra base hit with a leaping catch at the Metrodome's center field wall in the third inning, then gave the Twins a 3-2 lead with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly. Puckett was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001.
His enthusiasm rubbed off on all his teammates including me. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)In 12 seasons with the Twins, Kirby Puckett was named to 10 All-Star Games and won six Gold Glove Awards in center field. With an average of .328, Puckett was elected to his first In 1987, the Twins reached the postseason for the first time since 1970 despite finishing with a mark of 85-77.
He finished in the Top 10 in MVP voting seven times during his 12-year career. At the time of his retirement, his .318 career batting average was the highest by any right-handed American League batter since Joe DiMaggio.
Puckett gave the Twins an early lead by driving in However, the Twins did not make it back to the postseason during the rest of Puckett's career, although Puckett continued to play well.
Once there, Puckett helped lead the Twins to the During the year, Puckett put on his best performance on August 30 in Statistically speaking, Puckett had his best all-around season in 1988, hitting .356 with 24 home runs and 121 RBI, finishing third in the AL Puckett won the AL batting title in 1989 with a mark of .339, while also finishing fifth in at bats, second in doubles, first in hits, and second in singles. Few men have played the game of baseball with the youthful enthusiasm of Kirby Puckett.