Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett died Monday afternoon, just one day after suffering a stroke at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 45.
Puckett, who had gained weight since being forced into retirement by glaucoma in 1996, won two World Championships in 12 seasons with the Twins.
Just 5-foot-8, the stocky outfielder amassed a .318 career batting average, 207 home runs, 1,085 RBI, six Gold Gloves and 10 All-Star Game appearances. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001 on his first ballot.
A native of Chicago, Puckett is survived by his children, Catherine and Kirby Jr., his ex-wife, Tonya, and a fianc√É.√©e whom he planned to marry this summer. He received his last rites at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical center in Phoenix, and had elected to have his organs donated. The only member of the Hall of Fame to have died younger was Lou Gehrig, at age 37.
“I played the game and tried to live my life in a way that would make the people that I love and care about proud.” — Kirby Puckett’s Hall of Fame induction speech, Aug. 5, 2001, Cooperstown, NY.