Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mark Dayton today delivered the following speech from the Senate floor, in honor of former Minnesota Twins baseball player and Hall of Fame member, Kirby Puckett. Puckett died yesterday after suffering a massive stroke.

“I note with sorrow the passing of one of Minnesota's greatest sports heroes, Kirby Puckett, who suffered a stroke on Sunday and died yesterday at the age of 45.

“Kirby Puckett was born and raised in Chicago but he became a Minnesotan when he was drafted at the age of 22 by the Minnesota Twins. After two seasons in the minor leagues, he played his first major league game for the Twins on May 8, 1984, where he became the ninth player in baseball history to get four hits in his first game. Two years later, he appeared in the first of eight consecutive all-star games, during which time he also won the American League Most Valuable Player honors and Most Valuable Player in the American League championship series.

“When his great career was cut short by blurred vision, caused by glaucoma, in 1996, he sported a lifetime major league batting average of .318 with 2,304 hits, 207 home runs, and 1,085 runs batted in and 1,783 games. But even those extraordinary statistics comprise only part of Kirby Puckett’s greatness.

“He played baseball with an enthusiasm, a devotion, and an excitement that was thrilling to watch. Whether at bat or in center field, where he was a golden glove outfielder, he brought twins fans out of their seats with spectacular game-winning plays.

“No Minnesota Twins fan old enough to remember our team's two world championships will ever forget Kirby Puckett. In 1987, with the Twins trailing the St. Louis Cardinals three games to two, Kirby tied World Series records by reaching base five times and scoring four runs to lead the Twins to victory in game number six. The next night, the Twins won game seven to win their first world championship and the Minnesota team's first professional world championship in almost 30 years.

“Four years later, in another World Series game six, with the Twins this time trailing the Atlanta Braves three games to two, Kirby Puckett was unbelievably even more spectacular than before. His over-the-wall catch saved a game-winning Braves home run and sent the game into extra innings, which he then won with a home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. The next night the Twins won another game seven and another world series.

“During those years, Kirby Puckett was a wonderful representative of the Minnesota Twins and Major League Baseball. He hosted celebrity events for local charities, made countless appearances for others, signed endless autographs, all with his infectious Kirby Puckett smile.

“Andy McPhail, now president of the Chicago Cubs and General Manager of the Twins during those world series years, said yesterday ‘Kirby Puckett was probably the greatest teammate I’ve ever been around. You always felt better when you were around Kirby. He just had that way about him.’

“The years following his retirement from baseball stardom were more difficult ones, with his sterling reputation tarnished by marital discord and other public incidents. When his contract as Executive Vice President for the Twins expired at the end of 2002, Kirby Puckett retired from baseball and later moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he passed away.

“He is survived by his two children, Catherine and Kirby Junior, and his fiancée, Jodi Olson, to whom I extend my deepest condolences.

“The Kirby Puckett I will remember, as will a generation of Minnesota Twins fans, young and old, will always be wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform number 34, leaping for fly balls, racing around the bases, making his greatest plays in the most important games and doing so with a zest for the game and for life that was unmistakable and unforgettable.

“Thank you, Kirby, for those treasured moments now forever our memories. Thank you, Kirby. May you rest in peace.”

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