Baseball Loses A Legend As Puckett Dies At 45
By John J. Buro | Pro Baseball Central - NYSportsDay.com | on Tuesday, March 7 2006

It could be said that, in the case of Kirby Puckett, the beginning of the end occurred on September 28, 1995. The Minnesota Twins’ All-Star centerfielder was wrapping up his last brilliant year [23 HR/99 RBI/.314 in 137 games] when he was hit in the face by a pitch thrown by the Cleveland Indians’ Dennis Martinez. The impact broke Puckett’s jaw and burst an artery in his mouth.

Though Puckett was able to recover from the beaning, -he was hitting .360 during the spring of ’96-, another setback awaited him. Six months to the day, he awoke, unable to see out of his right eye. He was, subsequently, diagnosed with glaucoma and required several surgeries. Still, his vision could not be saved and, that July, he retired from baseball at 35.

On Monday evening -nearly 10½ years after the incident- Puckett died at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center of complications from a severe stroke he had a day earlier at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"This is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins, Major League Baseball and fans everywhere," Twins owner Carl Pohlad said. "Kirby's impact on the Twins organization, the state of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest is significant and goes well beyond his role in helping the Twins win two world championships."

"I was told I would never make it because I'm too short,” Puckett said at his 1996 retirement press conference. “Well, I'm still too short, but I've got 10 All-Star games, two World Series championships, and I'm a very happy guy. It doesn't matter what your height is, it's what's in your heart.”

It was the size of Puckett’s heart that remained his greatest asset.

At 5’8”, he was not the prototypical athlete. But, he forged enough of a collegiate career at Triton College [Illinois] to be selected by the Twins in the First Round [third overall] of the 1982 January Draft. Initially, he was known more as a slap hitter and for his excellence as a centerfielder.

With Elizabethton in the Appalachian League, he hit .382 in ’82; within two years, he was promoted to the Major Leagues. He was an immediate success. In May, 1984, he became the ninth player in history to record four hits in his first full game.

By his third season, Puckett was thrust into the spotlight. During the previous winter, he had worked with Tony Oliva, a former Twins great, who had served as the team’s hitting coach. Despite his small frame, he blasted 31 home runs, hit .328 and earned the first of his six Gold Glove Awards. He was also the centerpiece of Minnesota’s World Series victories in 1987 and 1991.

When his career had suddenly ended, he had amassed 2,307 hits, 207 HRs and 1,085 RBI in 1,783 games. Puckett –who established a MLB record with 2,040 hits during his first 10 seasons- hit .318, the highest of any right-handed batter since Joe DiMaggio.

The Twins retired his No. 34 in 1997 and, in 2001, he became the 36th player to be elected to the Hall of Fame in the first year of eligibility [2001]; Puckett, the third youngest inductee ever, was also the 44th HOFer to play his entire career with one franchise.

He is best remembered for his heroics during the 1991 postseason. First, he was named the MVP of the ALCS, as the Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays to advance against the Atlanta Braves. Then, in Game 6 of the World Series, he slugged an 11th inning game-winning home run off the Braves’ Charlie Leibrandt, forcing a 7th game.

That moment, often accompanied by Jack Buck’s words, "And we'll see you tomorrow night!” is considered the apex of Puckett’s career. The next night, with Jack Morris throwing ten shutout innings, Minnesota won, 1-0, for their second title.

But, Puckett -once one of the most likeable athletes of his era- had a dark side. In September, 2002 he was arrested and charged with groping a woman in a public restroom. Then, he and his wife, Tonya, endured a bitter divorce. Later, there were accusations from his ex-wife and mistress, claiming that he had cheated on both of them.

Frank Deford, writing in the March 17, 2003 edition of Sports Illustrated, noted the imbalances in Puckett’s life. Most notably, the public persona vs. the one reserved for private life.

Puckett, in public, was approachable and benevolent. Puckett, in private, was said to be maniacal. Tonya Puckett revealed to SI, “Over the years, he had tried to strangle me with an electrical cord, locked me in the basement and used a power saw to cut through a door.

“Once,” she said, “he even put a cocked gun to my head while I was holding our young daughter."

The mistress countered with charges that he was verbally abusive.

Puckett’s legacy is left to the mind. Fans know of the player. Those closer to him know of another side.

Now, the truth has died with him.