I was 12 years old the first time I saw this short, stocky guy put on the baby blue & number 34 of my Minnesota Twins. In the previous 11 years of my life the Twinkies were the joke of baseball. Kirby Puckett changed everything. When he first arrived at the Metrodome from the projects of Chicago he was a speedy, slap hitting centerfielder. Kirby never saw a pitch that he didn't think he could hit, he swung at everything. The funniest part is that he hit almost everything.
Kirby quickly became one of the stars of Major League Baseball. A few years into his career he made a bet with Bob Costas that he would lead the league in hitting going into the All-Star break. Kirby won, and now Costas has a son whose middle name is Kirby.
Kirby carried a rag tag 1987 team into the World Sires against the St. Louis Cardinals. Kirby, Herbie, Frankie "Sweet Music" Viola and the Rat won the Series in 7 games, giving Minnesota its 1st World Championship since the Lakers of the 1950's. The state came out of the funk of 4 Vikings Super bowl losses to parade down the snow filled streets of Minneapolis.
During spring training of 1991 we were warmed up on the frozen tundra seeing video clips of Kirby smashing windshields of cars with his home runs. The 1991 Twins were not the rag tag team of 87. These guys were veterans who knew what it took to get the job done.
The Twins entered the World Series against the upstart Atlanta Braves. This Series was a cookie cutter of 87. The Twins won the first 2 games and Atlanta picked up the next three. Kirby looked at his teammates in the club house prior to game 6 and told them to hop on his back.
Everyone remembers game 7 of that series because of Jack Morris' shut out victory. Real Twins fans know that game 6 was when the Twins had clinched that series. Kirby hit the ball all over the park that night, but nobody will ever forget the catch. Ron Gant smashed a ball to deep left centerfield that would have ended it all for the Twins. Kirby propelled his 5"6 230lb frame into the air, better than his buddy Michael Jordan ever could have, and stole victory from the clutches of yet another Minnesota sports heartbreak. Kirby wasn't done yet. The game remained tied until the 11th inning. Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox made the call to the bullpen to bring soft tossing lefty Charlie Leibrandt into face Puckett. I looked over at my best friend Derek and told him that this game was over, I wasn't alone. Kirby was standing in the on deck circle with Chili Davis, Kirby, with his ever present smile asked Chili if he wanted to go home. Kirby golfed a Leibrandt "fastball" into a sea of Homer Hankies, and the Braves didn't even need to show up for game 7.
Kirby was baseball, baseball is where I spent summer nights with my dad, baseball was the language that my best friend and I spoke, and baseball and life will never be the same. Kirby was the first person that I ever remember saying "work hard, play hard". I aspire to work towards that mantra everyday. Kirby, number 34, was my childhood hero, today I'm 34, & my childhood is officially over. There will never by another Kirby Puckett. God Bless you Kirby, may God give you as much joy as you have given me and millions of others.
James Holm 34