On September 28th of 1995, the Minnesota Twins faced off against the Cleveland Indians. Little did they know that the possibility that their most beloved player's career would abruptly end that night. Outfielder Kirby Puckett stepped up to the plate to face all-star pitcher Dennis Martinez. Struck with a fastball to the face, Puckett's jaw was broken and his season was over several days earlier than the rest of his teammates.
By the next spring, Puckett had healed from his broken jaw and was once again tearing up pitchers in Spring Training, hitting .344. He woke up just days before the regular season was to start and couldn't see out of his right eye. He was diagnosed with glaucoma and placed on the disabled list for the first time in his entire career. Kirby would later announce his retirement when doctors were unable to help him recover from his blindness.
Twenty years later to this day, his presence could still be felt at Target Field, home to the Twins. A statue stands in front of the park now, recreating Puckett's defining game during Game 6 of the 1991 World Series when he made a catch against the outfield wall and hit the game winning homerun in extra innings to force a Game 7.
Though Puckett's overall stats don't appear to be legendary (207 homeruns, 1085 RBI's, and 2304 base hits), he was one of the best players of his generation and voted by Sporting News Magazine as one of the top 100 players of all-time. When he retired, Puckett had the second highest career batting average by a right hander at .318, just behind Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio. In his 12 year long career, Kirby was voted into the all-star game 10 times, received votes for AL MVP 8 times, won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger for his position 6 times, and was a constant top 10 finisher every season in categories such as hits, batting average, doubles, and total bases.
Despite his appearance, Puckett covered a large amount of territory in centerfield for the Twins, often leading the American League in putouts and assists. He also had speed and would steal bases for the Twins. He started his career as a leadoff hitter, but in 1986, with the help of hitting instructor and former Twins great Tony Oliva, Puckett became the Twins number three hitter and hit 31 homers.
Unfortunately almost 10 years ago, Puckett suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in Arizona and after a surgery failed to relieve pressure on his brain, his family and friends were notified that the end was near. He passed away within a day, being the second youngest MLB Hall-of-Famer to be inducted while still alive, to die--he was 45 (Lou Gehrig died at 37).
"There was no player I enjoyed playing against more than Kirby. He brought such joy to the game. He elevated the play of everyone around him," Fisk said in a statement to the Hall of Fame.
Picture: 1986 Topps Kirby Puckett card
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