Kirby Puckett Career MLB Stats 1984-1995 |
||||||||||||||
G |
AB |
H |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
R |
SB |
2B |
3B |
BB |
SO |
OBP | SLG% |
OPS
|
1,783 |
7,244 |
2,304 |
.318 |
207 |
1,085 |
1,071 |
134 |
414 |
57 |
450 |
965 |
.360 |
.477 |
.837
|
Kirby Puckett was born on March 14, 1960 in Chicago, IL. He was the son of Catherine and William Puckett. Kirby was one of nine children who grew up in a housing project. Baseball would become Kirby’s favorite sport to play.
Puckett attended Calumet High School. He played baseball while in high school but was unable to garner any college scholarships. With no college plans, Puckett went to work after graduation.
However Puckett didn’t give up on his dream of playing baseball. He attended a major league scouting camp in Chicago and landed a scholarship to Bradley University. Puckett played there for one year before transferring to Triton Junior College,, a school closer to home as he and his family was dealing with the death of his father.
That summer he was playing in a summer baseball league when he was noticed by a Twins scout. He impressed them with the one game so much that by 1982, the Twins selected him in the first round (3rd overall) in the MLB Draft.
Awards and Achievements |
|
MVP
|
|
Gold Glove
|
1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992 |
All-Star Selections |
1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
|
Batting Titles |
1989
|
Achievements
|
1987, 1991 Silver Slugger 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994 AL RBI Leader 1994 ALCS MVP 1991 |
Kirby Puckett MLB Career Stats and Notes
On May 8, 1984, Kirby made his major league debut. He played for the Twins for 12 years, leading the team to two World Series titles. Late in the 1995 season, Puckett was hit in the face by a pitch. The injuries sustained forced him to miss the rest of the season and would unfortunately end his career. The ten time All-Star was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.
Kirby Puckett Game Winning HR in 1991 World Series
There are few things in baseball that’s more iconic than a walk-off homerun. But what about a game-winning shot in extra innings of a win or go home World Series game? Puckett’s legend grew exponentially when he hit the biggest HR in Twins’ history in 1991.
Facing elimination in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Puckett stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 11th inning with the game tied 3-3. With a 2-1 count, Puckett launched the next pitch into the left field seats, sealing a 4-3 win and tying up the series. The Twins would win another classic game the next night, a 1-0 game that was scoreless after nine innings, to capture their second title in five years.