For Love Of The Game

Good-bye, Kirby Puckett:

As Bert Blyleven said on a broadcast a couple years ago, "If you don't love Kirby Puckett, you don't love life." That is the thing with Kirby Puckett, you just love him. Genuinely, truly love, like a friend, a family member. And Bert was more right than he knew, because something about Kirby showed you how to love life. Kirby was joy, personified, and his joy infected everyone around him. We are all happier people for having had the privilege of having him play for our team, having had the privilege of knowing him.

Thanks for the memories Kirby. R.I.P.

Update: I've been reading a lot of tributes to Puckett that mention Game Six of the '91 Series or the '87 Series and that amazing weekend he had in Milwaukee. While those are certainly events that no Twins fan will ever forget, what I recall most fondly about Puckett the baseball player aren't his heroics in specific games or at bats, but rather his overall approach to hitting. He was a helluva hitter.

In his first game as a Twin he got four hits and never looked back. Early in his career he was apt to lie down a bunt and beat out a single or stretch a double into a triple (13 three baggers in 1985). Within a few years, he was hitting with power, drilling 31 dingers in 1986 and 28 in 1987 and approaching 100 RBIs both years. In '88 he had an incredible year, batting .356 with 21 home runs and 121 RBIs.

Later in his career, the power wasn't as evident, but the average always was. He only hit under .300 four times in his career and in three of those years he was within .004 of the mark. Whether it was a bunt single, a drive into the left field bleachers, or his patented astroturf bounce infield single, Puckett was always looking to hit.

The beauty of his hitting style was its simplicity. In post-game interviews, he would often be asked about a specific at bat, whether he was looking for a particular pitch, trying to pull the ball, etc. More often than not his response was something along the lines of "I just went up there hackin'." And what a hacker he was. He didn't care where the ball was thrown, he was gonna try to hit it. And hit it he did. Happy hackin' Kirby.

Update II: Henry e-mails to add:

Good blog 'bout Kirby. But in my opinion, it was his defense that set him apart. True, he was a spectacular hitter, (arguably one of the best right-handed hitters of baseball history). Average, power, speed, smarts, he had it all.

But his range in centerfield and rocket arm were what I loved about him the most. Cans of corn were caught with two hands. A gapper was sure to be cut off and fired into the infield. A runner always hesitated taking an extra bag because he knew Kirby could gun him down. Solid and steady.

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. A football cliché that works perfectly for the '87 and '91 Twins. Gagne, Gaetti, Hrbek, Puckett. Four tremendous defensive players that carried Minnesota to the top.

He will be missed.