Wed, Mar 08, 2006 page18

• Baseball Hall of Fame slugger dies of stroke aged 45

  • AFP
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  Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, who led the Minnesota Twins to two World Series titles, died on Monday of complications from a stroke, the team said.

  Puckett, who was 44, underwent neurosurgery on Sunday after suffering a stroke at his home in Arizona, and died in hospital on Monday afternoon.

  "This is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins, Major League Baseball and baseball fans everywhere," Twins owner Carl Pohland said.

  

  Jim Bulver lights a candle at a makeshift memorial to Kirby Puckett outside the Metrodome in Minneapolis on Monday. Puckett, the buoyant, barrel-shaped outfielder with the perpetual smile who led the Minnesota Twins to two World Series titles in a five-year span, died on Monday at an Arizona hospital.

  PHOTO: AP

  "Kirby's impact on the Twins organization, state of Minnesota and the upper midwest is significant and goes well beyond his role in helping the Twins win two World Championships. A tremendous teammate, Kirby will always be remembered for his never-ending hustle, infectious personality, trademark smile and commitment to the community," Pohland said. "There will never be another `Puck.'"

  Perhaps the most popular player in franchise history, Puckett played his entire career with the Twins (1984-95).

  Despite having his career cut short by irreversible retina damage to his right eye, Puckett was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001.

  

  Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett takes his turn in the batting cage as the All-Star team worked out at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Nov. 1, 1988. Puckett died on Monday, a day after the Hall of Fame outfielder had a stroke at his Arizona home, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was 44.

  PHOTO: AP

  "This is a sad and tragic day for the Baseball Hall of Fame," Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said. "He was an incredibly productive player from the moment he joined the Twins until his last at-bat 12 years later."

  "When you remember Kirby, you think of the joy and optimism he brought to the ballpark every day, and into the lives of everyone who knew him. He was, in every sense of the term, a Hall of Famer. We will miss Kirby greatly," Clark said.

  Puckett, 44, announced his retirement in July 1996 because of the eye damage and had his number 34 formally retired by the team in May 1997.

  However after receiving baseball's highest honor, Puckett's personal life took a downward turn.

  His ex-wife Tonya, alleged that he abused her. In 2003, he was acquitted of three charges stemming from an alleged assault of a woman at a restaurant.

  Fun-loving as a player, Puckett was a lifetime .318 hitter with 207 home runs and 1,085 RBI.

  He retired as the Twins' all-time leader in hits (2,304), doubles (414), total bases (3,453), at-bats (7,244) and runs (1,071).

  Puckett was selected to 10 consecutive All-Star Games from 1986 to 1995 and won six Gold Gloves as a center fielder and five Silver Slugger Awards.

  Also one of baseball's great community leaders, Puckett won the Roberto Clemente Man of the Year award in 1996.

  Puckett made an immediate impact with the Twins, becoming just the ninth player in major league history to collect four hits in his first game on May 8, 1984.

  He went on to collect numerous big hits in his career, including the game-winning home run in the bottom of the 11th inning in Game Six of the 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves.

  Puckett is survived by his daughter Catherine, son Kirby jr and his fiancee, Jodi Olson, and her son Cameron.
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