Editing Kirby Puckett

{{Short description|American baseball player (1960–2006)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| image       = Kirby_Puckett_1987.jpg
| caption     = Puckett with the Minnesota Twins in 1987
| name        = Kirby Puckett
| position    = [[Center fielder]]
| bats        = Right
| throws      = Right
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1960|3|14}}
| birth_place = [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|2006|3|6|1960|3|14}}
| death_place = [[Phoenix, Arizona]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
| debutdate   = May 8
| debutyear   = 1984
| debutteam   = Minnesota Twins
|finalleague = MLB
| finaldate   = September 28
| finalyear   = 1995
| finalteam   = Minnesota Twins
|statleague = MLB
| stat1label  = [[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
| stat1value  = .318
| stat2label  = [[Hit (baseball)|Hit]]s
| stat2value  = 2,304
| stat3label  = [[Home run]]s
| stat3value  = 207
| stat4label  = [[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
| stat4value  = 1,085
| teams       = 
* [[Minnesota Twins]] ({{mlby|1984}}–{{mlby|1995}})
| highlights = 
* 10× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1986]]–[[1995 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1995]])
* 2× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1987}}, {{wsy|1991}})
* [[ALCS MVP]] ({{alcsy|1991}})
* 6× [[Gold Glove Award]] (1986–1989, 1991, 1992)
* 6× [[Silver Slugger Award]] (1986–1989, 1992, 1994)
* [[Roberto Clemente Award]] (1996)
* [[List of Major League Baseball Batting Champions|AL batting champion]] (1989)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|AL RBI leader]] (1994)
* [[Minnesota Twins#Retired numbers|Minnesota Twins No. 34]] retired
* [[Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
| hofdate = [[2001 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2001]]
| hofvote = 82.1% (first ballot)
}}
'''Kirby Puckett''' (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional [[baseball]] player. He played his entire 12-year [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) career for the [[Minnesota Twins]] (1984–1995).<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2014/12/what-made-kirby-puckett-one-best-twins-all-time/|title=What made Kirby Puckett one of the best Twins of all time|date=December 9, 2014|website=MinnPost|last=Hogg|first=Kevin}}</ref> Puckett was instrumental in helping the Twins to win World Series championships in [[1987 World Series|1987]] and [[1991 World Series|1991]].<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1109386-minnesota-twins-who-are-the-top-15-players-in-twins-history|title=Minnesota Twins: Who Are the Top 15 Players in Twins History?|first=Tim|last=Meehan|website=[[Bleacher Report]] |date=March 18, 2012 }}</ref> Puckett generally played center field, although he was shifted to right field later in his career.

Puckett was a popular player due to his charisma and his passion for the game as well as his skills. He is known for having hit a dramatic game-winning home run in Game Six of the 1991 World Series. Puckett led the American League in batting with a .339 average in 1989 and led the league with 112 runs batted in in 1994. Overall, he won six Silver Slugger Awards and six Gold Gloves during his playing career and was named to the AL All-Star Team 10 times. He finished his career with a .318 batting average, 207 home runs, and 1085 runs batted in. 

After being forced to retire in 1996 at age 36 due to loss of vision in one eye from a [[central retinal vein occlusion]],<ref name="bye">{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/11692616.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017134645/http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/11692616.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 17, 2012|title=Kirby says goodbye|first=Jim |last=Souhan|website=Minnesota Star Tribune|date=March 27, 1998|access-date=July 17, 2011}}</ref> Puckett was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[2001 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2001]] in his first year of eligibility. 

==Early life==
Kirby Puckett was born March 14, 1960, in [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Kirby Pucket Stats, Fantasy & News |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/kirby-puckett-120790 |website=[[MLB.com]] |publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]] |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref>{{efn|His birth year is sometimes erroneously listed as 1961.<ref name="sabr">{{cite web |last=Thornley |first=Stew |title=Kirby Puckett |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/kirby-puckett/ |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |access-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518130650/https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/kirby-puckett/ |archive-date=May 18, 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} The youngest of William and Catherine Puckett's nine children, Kirby was born 22 years after his oldest sibling, Charles. Puckett's father worked two full-time jobs at a department store and the post office, leaving Catherine to raise the children.<ref name="caple">{{cite news |last=Caple |first=Jim |title=Puckett raised on teamwork |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-08-11-9608110120-story.html |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=August 11, 1996 |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref> Raised in a three-bedroom apartment in the [[Robert Taylor Homes]] Chicago [[Public housing|housing project]],<ref name="LAT-91">{{cite news |last=Elliott |first=Helene |title=Puckett's Mother Knew Best: American League: Twins' slugger plays for her memory and for $3 million a season{{snd}}in that order |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-18-sp-698-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 18, 1991 |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref> Puckett taught himself to play baseball by practicing hitting and throwing against a wall.<ref name="times">{{cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |title=Kirby Puckett, 45, Hall of Fame Outfielder, Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/07/sports/baseball/kirby-puckett-45-hall-of-fame-outfielder-dies.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 7, 2006 |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Green |first=Adam W. |title=African American Studies Center |chapter=Puckett, Kirby |chapter-url=https://oxfordaasc.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195301731.001.0001/acref-9780195301731-e-37691 |publisher=Oxford African American Studies Center |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.37691 |date=March 15, 2013 |isbn=978-0-19-530173-1 |access-date=September 4, 2023 |chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref>

An [[All-America]]n baseball player at [[Calumet High School (Chicago)|Calumet High School]], Puckett received little attention from baseball [[Scout (sport)|scouts]], and he took a job installing carpeting in new cars for the [[Ford Motor Company]].<ref name="sabr" /> After being laid off by Ford, Puckett attended an open tryout hosted by the [[Kansas City Royals]] of [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), where he received a [[college baseball]] scholarship from [[Bradley University]].<ref name="caple" /><ref name="vlahos">{{cite news |last=Vlahos |first=Nick |title=Nick in the AM: Remembering Baseball Hall of Famer, ex-Bradley player Kirby Puckett |url=https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/columns/nick-in-the-morning/2018/03/14/nick-in-am-remembering-baseball/12989007007/ |work=[[Journal Star (Peoria)|Journal Star]] |date=March 14, 2018 |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref> During the 1981 season, Puckett led the [[Bradley Braves]] with eight [[home run]]s, 21 [[stolen base]]s, and a .660 [[slugging percentage]], while his .378 [[batting average]] was second on the team. His grades suffered following the sudden death of his father, however, and he transferred to [[Triton College]] after one year.<ref name="vlahos" /> During the 1982 season at Triton, Puckett batted .472 with 16 home runs and 78 [[runs batted in]] (RBI), and he was named the [[National Junior College Athletic Association]] Player of the Year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Triton great Kirby Puckett to be enshrined in NJCAA Foundation Hall of Fame |url=https://tritonathletics.com/news/2023/5/25/baseball-triton-great-kirby-puckett-to-be-enshrined-in-njcaa-foundation-hall-of-fame.aspx |last1=Castle |first1=George |last2=McKinney |first2=Tim |website=Triton College Athletics |date=May 25, 2023 |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref>

==Career==
===Draft and minor leagues===
As teams tried to save money during the [[1981 MLB strike]], only one scout watched Puckett at Bradley: [[Jim Rantz]] of the [[Minnesota Twins]], who recommended that the team take him third overall in the January 1982 MLB draft. Puckett turned down the Twins' initial $6,000 contract, signing with them for $20,000 after the [[JUCO World Series]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Twins Scout Stumbled Upon Unknown Kirby Puckett |url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/twins-scout-stumbled-upon-unknown-kirby-puckett/ |work=[[Baseball America]] |date=September 4, 2016 |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref> After signing with Minnesota, Puckett was assigned to the [[Rookie-level]] [[Elizabethton Twins]], where he batted .382 with three home runs and 35 RBI in 65 games,<ref name="minors">{{cite web |title=Kirby Puckett Minor Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pucket001kir |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref> winning the [[Appalachian League]] [[batting title]] in the process.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kirby Puckett Had Top Mark In Appy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bristol-herald-courier/131230348/ |work=[[Bristol Herald Courier]] |page=7C |date=September 19, 1982 |access-date=September 4, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In 1983, Puckett was promoted to the [[Class A (baseball)|Single-A]] [[Visalia Oaks]] in the [[California League]], where he hit .318 with nine home runs, 97 RBI, and 48 stolen bases over 138 games. After being promoted to the [[Triple-A (baseball)|AAA]] [[Toledo Mud Hens]] to start the 1984 season, Puckett was brought up to the majors for good 21 games into the season.

===Minnesota Twins===
Puckett's major league debut came on May 8, 1984, against the [[California Angels]], a game in which he went 4-for-5 with one run.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.nutcan.com/article/The_Five_Most_Important_Figures_in_Minnesota_Sports_History.php |title = The Five Most Important Figures in Minnesota Sports History |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref> That year, Puckett hit .296 and was fourth in the [[American League]] in singles.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1984-batting-leaders.shtml |title = 1984 American League Batting Leaders |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref> In 1985, Puckett hit .288 and finished fourth in the league in hits, third in triples, second in plate appearances, and first in at bats.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1985-batting-leaders.shtml |title = 1985 American League Batting Leaders |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref> Throughout his career, Puckett would routinely appear in the top 10 in the American League in such offensive statistical categories as games played, [[at bat]]s, singles, doubles, and [[total bases]] and such defensive stats as [[putouts]], [[Assist (baseball)|assists]], and [[fielding percentage]] for league center fielders.<ref name="BR">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/puckeki01.shtml|title=Kirby Puckett|work=Baseball Reference|access-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref>

In 1986, Puckett began to emerge as more than just a singles hitter. With an average of .328, Puckett was elected to his first [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game]] and he finished the season seventh in doubles, sixth in home runs, fourth in extra-base hits, third in slugging percentage, and second in runs scored, hits, total bases, and at-bats.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1986-batting-leaders.shtml |title = 1986 American League Batting Leaders |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref> Kirby was also recognized for his defensive skills, earning his first [[Gold Glove Award]].<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_al_alt.shtml |title = American League Gold Glove Award Winners |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref>

====1987–1990 (First World Series title)====
[[File:Kirby Puckett 1993.jpg|thumb|left|Puckett bats against the Baltimore Orioles, 1993]]
In 1987, the Twins reached the postseason for the first time since 1970 despite finishing with a mark of 85–77. Once there, Puckett helped lead the Twins to the [[1987 World Series]],<ref>{{cite web|url = http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_ws_recaps.jsp?feature=1987 |title = 1987 World Series |access-date = September 10, 2009 |work=MLB.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324120713/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_ws_recaps.jsp?feature=1987|archive-date=March 24, 2023 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Twins' second series appearance since relocating to Minnesota and fifth in franchise history. For the season, Puckett batted .332 with 28 home runs and 99 [[Run batted in|RBIs]].<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/history/MIN |title = Minnesota Twins |access-date = September 10, 2009 |work=[[CBS Sports]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165851/http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/history/MIN |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="BR" /> Although he hit only .208 in the Twins' five game [[1987 American League Championship Series|AL Championship Series]] win over the [[Detroit Tigers]], Puckett would produce in the seven-game World Series upset over the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], where he batted .357.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1987_WS.shtml |title = 1987 World Series |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref>

During the year, Puckett put on his best performance on August 30 in [[Milwaukee]] against the [[1987 Milwaukee Brewers season|Brewers]], when he went 6-for-6 with two home runs, one off [[Juan Nieves]] in the third and the other off closer [[Dan Plesac]] in the ninth.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL198708300.shtml |title = Aug 30, 1987, Twins at Brewers Play by Play and Box Score |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref>

Statistically speaking, Puckett had his best all-around season in 1988, hitting 24 home runs with a career-high .356 average and 121 RBIs, finishing third in the AL [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|MVP balloting]] for the second straight season. Although the Twins won 91 games, six more than in their championship season, the team finished a distant second in the [[American League West]], 13 games behind the [[1988 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]].<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/1988.shtml |title = 1988 Minnesota Twins season |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref>

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. The Twins, two years removed from the championship season, slumped, going 80–82 and finishing in fifth place, 19 games behind the Athletics. In April 1989, he recorded his 1,000th hit, becoming the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to do so in his first five seasons.<ref name="sabr" /> After the 1989 season, Puckett signed a 3-year, $9 million contract with the Twins, making him the first baseball player to earn at least $3 million per year of salary.<ref name="LAT-89">{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-22-sp-401-story.html |title=Puckett Is First to Score $3-Million Salary |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 22, 1989 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=September 28, 2024 }} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name="LAT-91" /> He continued to play well in 1990, but had a down season, finishing with a .298 batting average, and the Twins mirrored his performance as the team slipped all the way to last place in the AL West with a record of 74–88.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/1990.shtml |title = 1990 Minnesota Twins season |access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref>

====1991–1995 (Second World Series title)====
In 1991, the Twins got back on the winning track and Puckett led the way by batting .319, eighth in the league and Minnesota surged past [[1991 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland]] midseason to capture the division title. The Twins then beat the [[1991 Toronto Blue Jays season|Toronto Blue Jays]] in five games in the [[1991 American League Championship Series|American League Championship Series]] as Puckett batted .429 with two home runs and five RBI to win the ALCS MVP.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1991_ALCS.shtml |title = 1991 American League Championship Series|access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref>

The subsequent [[1991 World Series]] was ranked by [[ESPN]] to be the best ever played, with four games decided on the final pitch and three games going into extra innings. The Twins and their opponent, the [[1991 Atlanta Braves season|Atlanta Braves]], had each finished last in their respective divisions in the year before winning their league pennant, something that had never happened before.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.espn.com/swf/mlb/anniversary/worldseries100.html |title = World Series 100th Anniversary|access-date = September 10, 2009 |publisher = ESPN }}</ref>

Going into Game 6, the Twins trailed three games to two with each team winning their respective home games. Puckett gave the Twins an early lead by driving in [[Chuck Knoblauch]] with a triple in the first inning. Puckett then made a leaping catch in front of the Plexiglass wall in left field to rob [[Ron Gant]] of an extra-base hit in the third. The game went into [[extra innings]], and in the first at-bat of the bottom of the 11th, Puckett hit a dramatic game-winning home run on a 2–1 count off of [[Charlie Leibrandt]] to send the Series to Game 7.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=2357368 |title=For 11 innings, Puckett's greatness took center stage |access-date=September 10, 2009 |last=Kurkjian |first=Tim |date=March 6, 2006 |work=ESPN }}</ref> This dramatic game has been widely remembered as the high point in Puckett's career. The images of Puckett rounding the bases, arms raised in triumph (often punctuated by [[Major League Baseball on CBS|CBS]] television broadcaster [[Jack Buck]] saying "And we'll see you tomorrow night!") are frequently included in video highlights of his career. The Twins then went on to win Game 7 1–0, with [[Jack Morris]] throwing a 10-inning complete game, and claimed their second World Series crown in five years.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1991_WS.shtml |title = 1991 World Series|access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref>

Though the Twins didn't make it to the postseason for the rest of Puckett's career, he remained an elite player. In 1994, Puckett was switched to right field and won his first league RBI title by driving in 112 runs in only 108 games, a pace that projects to 168 RBIs over a full season. He also broke the record for Twins career hits on June 26 with three hits in the game against the Kansas City Royals that the Twins won 11–4, giving him 2,088 hits.<ref name="LAT-94">{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-27-sp-9068-story.html |date=June 27, 1994 |work=Los Angeles Times |agency=Associated Press |title=American League Roundup : Puckett Passes Carew on the Twins' Hit List |access-date=September 28, 2024 }} {{subscription required}}</ref> Previously [[Rod Carew]] held that record with 2,085 hits.<ref name="LAT-94" /> But the 1994 season was cut short by a [[1994-95 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]], ending his chances for two consecutive RBI titles.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1994-batting-leaders.shtml |title = 1994 American League Batting Leaders|access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Reference }}</ref>

Puckett was still performing well in the 1995 season before having his jaw broken in his final career plate appearance by a [[Dennis Martínez]] fastball on September 28.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/puckeki01.php |title=Kirby Puckett |access-date=September 10, 2009 |website=TheBaseballPage.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208023558/http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/puckeki01.php |archive-date=February 8, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Retirement===
{{MLBBioRet
| Image  = KirbyPuckett_Twins.png
| Name   = Kirby Puckett
| Number = 34
| Team   = Minnesota Twins
| Year   = 1997
}}

After spending the spring of 1996 continuing to blister [[Spring training#Grapefruit League (Florida)|Grapefruit League]] batting with a .344 average,<ref name="startribune.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/11709746.html|last=Christensen |first=Joe|title=Goodbye, Kirby|date=March 6, 2006|work=Minnesota Star Tribune|access-date=October 6, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006105640/http://www.startribune.com/sports/11709746.html|archive-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref> Puckett woke up on March 28 without vision in his right eye. He was diagnosed with [[glaucoma]], and was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his professional career. Three surgeries over the next few months could not restore vision in the eye.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n25_v89/ai_18260230/?tag=content;col1 |title=Kirby Puckett battles glaucoma; star outfielder undergoes laser eye surgery |access-date=September 10, 2009 |magazine=Jet |year=1996 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708060406/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n25_v89/ai_18260230/?tag=content;col1 |archive-date=July 8, 2012 }}</ref> When it was apparent that he would never be able to play again, Puckett announced his retirement on July 12, 1996, at the age of 36.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-puckett030606&prov=yhoo&type=lgns |title = Puckett's Abrupt Ending |date=March 7, 2006 |access-date=September 18, 2024 |work=Yahoo Sports }}</ref> Following his retirement, the Twins made him an executive vice president of the team.<ref name="auto"/> 

Puckett received the 1996 [[Roberto Clemente Award]] for community service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/06/obit.puckett/index.html|title=Baseball great Kirby Puckett dies – Mar 7, 2006|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref>

===Legacy===
Puckett won the 1989 American League batting title with a .339 batting average. He also led the league in runs batted in with 112 in 1994. Puckett won six Silver Slugger Awards and six Gold Gloves during his playing career. He was named to the AL All-Star Team 10 times. He finished his career with a .318 batting average, 207 home runs, and 1085 runs batted in.<ref name="auto1"/> At the time of Puckett's retirement, his .318 career [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] was the highest of any right-handed batter since [[Joe DiMaggio]]. Also, he amassed 2,040 hits in the first 10 seasons of his career; this total exceeded that of any other 20th-century player.<ref name="bye" />
[[File:Kirby_Puckett_retired.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Puckett in 1997]]
The Twins [[Retired number|retired]] Puckett's number 34 in 1997.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.postbulletin.com/twins-retire-pucketts-jersey|title=Twins retire Puckett's jersey|date=May 26, 1997|last=Lesko|first=Ron|work=[[Post-Bulletin]] |access-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104183130/https://www.postbulletin.com/twins-retire-pucketts-jersey |archive-date=January 4, 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[2001 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2001 balloting]], he was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in his first year of eligibility. In 1999, he ranked Number 86 on ''[[Sporting News|The Sporting News]]'' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/lisn100.shtml |date=1998 |title=Baseball's 100 Greatest Players|access-date=September 10, 2009 |publisher=[[The Sporting News]] |work=[[Baseball Almanac]] }}</ref>

In 1993, Puckett received the [[Branch Rickey Award]] for his lifetime of community service work.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_br.shtml |title = Branch Rickey Award|access-date = September 10, 2009 |website = Baseball Almanac }}</ref>

On April 12, 2010, a statue of Puckett was unveiled at the plaza of [[Target Field]] in Minneapolis. The plaza runs up against the stadium's largest gate, Gate 34, numbered in honor of Puckett. The statue, by sculptor [[Bill Mack (sculptor)|Bill Mack]], represents Puckett pumping his fist while running the bases after his winning home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Does bronze become him? |last=J. |first=C. |date=April 24, 2010 |url=https://www.startribune.com/does-bronze-become-him/92019819/ |access-date=2024-07-16 |website=Minnesota Star Tribune}}</ref>

At the time of his own retirement in 2016, longtime [[Boston Red Sox]] first baseman/designated hitter [[David Ortiz]] stated that he had used uniform number 34 with the Red Sox to honor Puckett's friendship with him. Ortiz began his MLB career with the Twins.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19721607/david-ortiz-no-34-joins-pantheon-boston-red-sox-great |title=David Ortiz's No. 34 becomes 10th retired Red Sox jersey number |last=Lauber |first=Scott |date=June 24, 2017 |publisher=ESPN |access-date=April 30, 2018 |quote=Ortiz asked for No. 34 when he arrived in Boston before the 2003 season because he wanted to honor Minnesota Twins great Kirby Puckett. In a poignant moment, the Red Sox invited the late Puckett's family to Fenway Park and introduced them on the field... 'When I chose to wear that number, I was proud of wearing it because of the person that I was wearing it for,' Ortiz said. 'It was somebody that was very special to my career even if it was early in my career. He did special things, and somebody that special needs special things. When I saw [Puckett's children] coming toward me, I thought about Kirby—a lot.'}}</ref>

In 1997, Jim Souhan of the ''Star Tribune'' wrote: "What Puckett meant to the Twins transcended statistics, just as his fire-hydrant-shaped body often crested the Metrodome's centerfield fence. He overcame the limits of his short, squat body, and of his upbringing in the projects on Chicago's South Side, to demonstrate the joys that baseball can bring a player and a community".<ref name="bye" />

According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', Puckett was known "for his sunny personality and his passion for baseball".<ref name="times" /> The ''[[Star Tribune]]'' has stated that Puckett possessed a "blend of Hall of Fame skill and persistent joyfulness" that made him "perhaps the most popular athlete in Minnesota history".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.startribune.com/the-morning-kirby-puckett-woke-up-with-blindness-25-years-ago-changed-everything/600039470/ |last=Souhan |first=Jim |title=The morning Kirby Puckett woke up with blindness, 25 years ago, changed everything |date=March 29, 2021 |website=Minnesota Star Tribune |access-date=September 20, 2024 }}</ref> However, Puckett's reputation was affected by various incidents in his personal life following his retirement.<ref name="risefall" />

==Personal life==
Puckett married his wife, Tonya, in 1986. The Pucketts had two children<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://patch.com/minnesota/mendotaheights/tonya-puckett-miller-kirby-pucketts-ex-wife-dies-58|title=Tonya Puckett-Miller, Kirby Puckett's Ex-Wife, Dies At 58|date=September 19, 2023|last=Bornhoft |first=William |work=[[Patch Media]]}}</ref> and divorced in 2002.<ref name="NYT2003">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2003-01-01 |title=Plus: Baseball; Puckett's Divorce Is Made Final |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/01/sports/plus-baseball-puckett-s-divorce-is-made-final.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=D7 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=2022-04-27 }}</ref>

Following his retirement, Puckett's weight increased to nearly 300 lbs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-03-06-0603060001-story.html|title=Puckett, 44, in fight for his life|date=March 6, 2006|last=Sullivan|first=Paul|website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> In March 2002, a woman filed for an [[order of protection]] against Puckett's wife, Tonya Puckett, claiming that Tonya had threatened to kill her over an alleged affair with Puckett. Later that same month, another woman asked for protection from Puckett himself, claiming in court documents that he had shoved her in his Bloomington condominium during the course of an 18-year relationship.<ref name=Tarnished>{{cite news|last=Tevlin|first=Jon|title=April 7, 2002: Kirby Puckett's tarnished image|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/11708911.html|access-date=April 16, 2012|newspaper=Minnesota Star Tribune|date=March 6, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228092213/http://www.startribune.com/sports/11708911.html|archive-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>

In September 2002, Puckett was accused of groping a woman in a restaurant bathroom and was charged with false imprisonment, fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, and fifth-degree assault.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0328/1530708.html |title=Witness testifies Puckett dragged woman into restroom |date=March 28, 2003 |access-date=September 17, 2009 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press }}</ref> He was found not guilty on all counts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2003/04/03_stawickie_puckett/ |title=Puckett acquitted of assault charges |access-date = September 17, 2009 |last=Stawicki |first=Elizabeth |website= [[Minnesota Public Radio]] |date=April 3, 2003 |agency=Associated Press }}</ref>

The March 17, 2003, edition of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' included an article by columnist [[Frank Deford]] entitled "The Rise and Fall of Kirby Puckett". The article contrasted Puckett's private life with his public image. Deford reported that Tonya Puckett alleged that Puckett had physically abused her and threatened to kill her on multiple occasions. He also reported that Puckett had engaged in multiple adulterous relationships.<ref name="risefall">{{Cite magazine |last=Deford |first=Frank |date=2003-03-17 |title=The Rise and Fall of Kirby Puckett |language=en-us |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2003/03/17/the-rise-and-fall-of-kirby-puckett-the-media-and-the-fans-in-minnesota-turned-the-twins-hall-of-famer-into-a-paragon-of-every-virtueand-that-made-his-human-flaws-when-they-came-to-light-all-the-more-shocking |access-date=September 20, 2024 |location=New York City |publisher=Time }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-03-11 |title=The other Kirby |work=CNN |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2003/03/11/si_puckett/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503004121/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2003/03/11/si_puckett/ |archive-date=2010-05-03 |publisher=Sports Illustrated}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:KirbyPuckettTributeAtTheDome.JPG|left|thumb|260px|Former manager [[Tom Kelly (baseball)|Tom Kelly]] surrounded by former teammates [[Dan Gladden]], [[Mudcat Grant|Jim "Mudcat" Grant]], and [[Kent Hrbek]], Hall of Famer [[Harmon Killebrew]], and friends at the Memorial at the [[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome|Metrodome]] on March 12, 2006]]

On the morning of March 5, 2006, Puckett suffered a massive [[hemorrhagic stroke]] at the home he shared with his fiancée, Jodi Olson.<ref name="nextday">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2357158 |title=Kirby Puckett dies day after suffering stroke|access-date=September 17, 2009 |work=ESPN|agency=Associated Press|date=March 6, 2006}}</ref> He underwent emergency [[surgery]] that day to relieve pressure on his brain; however, the surgery failed, and his former teammates and coaches were notified the following morning that his death was near. Many, including 1991 Twins teammates [[Shane Mack (baseball)|Shane Mack]] and [[Kent Hrbek]], flew to Phoenix to be at his bedside during his final hours along with Puckett's two children. His fiancée never left his side. Puckett died at the age of 45 on March 6 shortly after being disconnected from life support.<ref name="nextday" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-03-07 |title=Baseball great Kirby Puckett dies |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/06/obit.puckett/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060312211811/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/06/obit.puckett/index.html |archive-date=March 12, 2006 |access-date=September 17, 2009 |work=CNN}}</ref>

In the subsequent autopsy, the official cause of death was recorded as "cerebral hemorrhage due to [[hypertension]]". Puckett died at the second-youngest age (behind [[Lou Gehrig]]) of any Hall of Famer inducted while living, and the youngest to die after being inducted in the modern era of the five-season waiting period. Puckett was survived by his son Kirby Jr. and daughter Catherine.<ref name="startribune.com" />

A private memorial service was held in the Twin Cities suburb of [[Wayzata, Minnesota|Wayzata]] on the afternoon of March 12 (declared "Kirby Puckett Day" in [[Minneapolis]]), followed by a public ceremony held at the Metrodome attended by family, friends, ballplayers past and present, and approximately 15,000 fans (an anticipated capacity crowd dwindled through the day due to an impending blizzard). Speakers at the latter service included Hall of Famers [[Harmon Killebrew]], [[Cal Ripken Jr.]] and [[Dave Winfield]], and many former teammates and coaches.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

{{clear}}

==Career statistics==
{| class= "wikitable"
!Years!![[Games played|G]]!![[At bat|AB]]!![[Run (baseball)|R]]!![[Hit (baseball)|H]]!![[Double (baseball)|2B]]!![[Triple (baseball)|3B]]!![[Home run|HR]]!![[Runs batted in|RBI]]!![[Stolen bases|SB]]!![[Bases on balls|BB]]!![[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]]!![[On-base percentage|OBP]]!![[Slugging percentage|SLG]]!![[On-base plus slugging percentage|OPS]]!![[Fielding percentage|FLD%]]
|-
|12||1783||7244||1071||2304||414||57||207||1085||134||450||.318||.360||.477||.837||.989
|}
In 24 postseason games, Puckett batted .309 (30-for-97) with 16 runs, three doubles, two triples, five home runs, 16 RBI, three stolen bases and eight walks.<ref name="BR" />

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
{{Div col|colwidth=27em}}
* [[DHL Hometown Heroes]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball hit records]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders]]
* [[Major League Baseball titles leaders]]
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* A children's picture-book autobiography, ''Be the Best You Can Be'' ({{ISBN|0-931674-20-4}}), published by Waldman House Press in 1993;
* An autobiography, ''I Love This Game: My Life and Baseball'' ({{ISBN|0-06-017710-1}}), published by HarperCollins in 1993; and
* A book of baseball games and drills, ''Kirby Puckett's Baseball Games'' ({{ISBN|0-7611-0155-1}}), published by Workman Publishing Company in 1996
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{bbhof|puckett-kirby}}
*{{Baseballstats|mlb=120790|espn=1496|br=p/puckeki01|fangraphs=1010557|brm=pucket001kir|retro=P/Ppuckk001}}
{{Div col|colwidth=27em}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070224003902/http://archive.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-86.html Baseball's 100 Greatest Players (#86)] ''The Sporting News''
*[http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/tributes/obit_kirby_puckett.jsp Official Major League Baseball tribute site]
*[http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1518&pid=11497 SABR BioProject: Kirby Puckett]
*[http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/Obituaries.asp?page=lifestory&personid=17014857 Obituary] in the ''[[Star Tribune]]''
{{Div col end}}
:

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{Succession box| before = [[Don Mattingly]]<br>[[Roberto Alomar]] | title = [[Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award|American League Player of the Month]]| years = April 1986<br>May & June 1992 | after = [[Wade Boggs]]<br>[[Edgar Martínez]]}}
{{Succession box| before = [[Tony Phillips]] | title = [[Hitting for the cycle]]| years = August 1, 1986 | after = [[Andre Dawson]]}}
{{s-end}}

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