Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett was born on March 14, 1960 in Chicago's South Side. He was the youngest of nine children born to William and Catherine Puckett. He was raised in the Robert Taylor Homes housing project, a row of broken-down apartments, which were dubbed "the place where hope dies." Since there were no baseball fields nearby, Kirby never played Little League baseball. He first practiced baseball by drawing a chalk strike zone on a building wall and repeatedly throwing a ball against it. Although he earned All-American honors at Calumet High School, Kirby was virtually ignored by pro scouts because of his size. Out of high school, he worked jobs as a Ford plant worker and a census taker. He continued playing baseball in a recreational league. One August afternoon, he decided to attend a Kansas City Royals tryout camp with 150 other wannabes vying for a dream position. Although the Royals didn't sign him that day, the baseball coach from Bradley University was impressed with Kirby's bat speed and defense. He recruited Kirby to come to Bradley on a scholarship. In his freshman year, Kirby showed amazing progress. However, following the death of his father, he took more than three weeks off from school, subsequently jeopardizing his scholarship. He thought about quitting baseball and going back home to work in the auto industry. However, he decided to give it one more shot by enrolling at Triton Junior College in nearby River Grove. After hitting .472 with 16 homers in his final season at Triton, the Minnesota Twins drafted Kirby with the third pick in the 1982 January supplemental draft. He spent only two seasons in the Twins minor league system before making his major league debut on May 8, 1984 against the California Angles. He collected four hits that day, tying a major league record for most hits in a debut game. He would finish the season with a .296 batting average and 31 RBIs, earning him third place in the voting for American League Rookie of the Year. His breakout season came in 1986 when he batted .328 with 31 homers and won the first of his six gold gloves in center field. The following season, he continued to shine, leading the underdog Twins to their first World Series championship. In 1988, he hit a career-best .356, earning him third place in the MVP voting and a reputation as one of baseball's premier hitters. However, his career-defining moment came in Game Six of the 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves. With the Twins down three games to two, Kirby told his teammates "Jump on my back. I'll carry you." He made good on that promise by taking away a potential game-winning double in the third inning with a spectacular jumping catch and then hitting a game-winning home run in the 11th inning to keep the Twins alive in the series. The Twins would win their second World Series Championship the next day with a Game Seven win. Even though the Twins would not make it back to the World Series in the following seasons, Kirby continued to put up impressive statistics. He also continued his standing as one of baseball's most recognizable and beloved players. His outgoing personality, hard-working attitude, community involvement, and good rapport with teammates and the media earned him a huge fan-base throughout the country. However, his fairy tale career came to an end in 1996 after he was forced to retire in spring training with early symptoms of glaucoma. He finished his career with 10-All Star appearances, six Gold Gloves, a .318 batting average, one All-Star Game MVP trophy and two World Series rings. Despite having his career cut short at a relatively young age (35) and not being able to see out of his right eye, Kirby appeared very optimistic and never expressed any bitterness. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 on the first ballot. In the following years, Kirby's one-time flawless public image would begin to take a major hit. In February 2002, his wife, Tonya, filed for divorce, claiming that Kirby physically and verbally abused her throughout their marriage, even threatening to kill her on several occasions. Later that same year, he was arrested on charges of groping a woman in a bar restroom, to which he was later acquitted. In addition, there were several negative articles and reports coming out about Kirby's private life which included allegations of numerous extra-marital affairs, sexual misconduct, physical abuse, and lewd public behavior. To escape the burgeoning media backlash, Kirby, whose weight continued to balloon, decided to move to Arizona in the winter of 2003. He managed to keep a low profile until March 5, 2006 when he suffered a massive stroke. Doctors performed emergency surgery that same day but were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead on March 6, 2006 after being disconnected from life support. He died at the second-youngest age (behind Lou Gehrig) of any Hall of Famer inducted while living. He is survived by his two adopted children, Kirby Jr. and Catherine, and his fiancée Jodi Olson.