1991 – Outfielder Kirby Puckett prevents two Atlanta runs with a leaping catch in the 3rd inning and then lofts a sacrifice fly in the 5th to give the Twins the lead in Game 6 of the World Series. The Braves tie it in the 7th, but Puckett turns out the lights in the 10th with a home run to force a seventh game.
In an 8 – 4 loss to the White Sox, the Twins’ Kirby Puckett collects his 1,500th career hit, off winner Greg Hibbard. Scott Erickson is the loser, ending his 12-game win streak.
VINTAGE BASEBALL MEMORABILIA Vintage Baseball Memorabilia May 23, 1991 Kirby Puckett strokes five singles and a triple in the Twins’ 10-6 loss in 11 innings to Texas at the Metrodome. The game marks the second time the outfielder collects six hits in a game, making him the fourth post-1900 major leaguer, along with Doc Cramer,…
1990 – In a 7 – 5 loss to the Indians, the Twins’ Kirby Puckett starts off in RF and then moves to SS, 3B, and 2B in the 8th inning. Al Newman switches from 3B to SS back to 3B in the frame. Cleveland fails to score.
Mark Langston reaches an agreement with the Angels on a five-year contract worth $16 million, making the left-handed pitcher the latest highest-paid player in baseball history. The 29 year-old free agent, who had a combined 16-14 record with the Mariners and Expos last season, rejected Montreal’s three-year, $9 million offer last summer that would have made him the first major leaguer to have averaged $3 million a season.
1989 – Free agent outfielder Kirby Puckett re-signs with the Minnesota Twins for $9 million over three years, making him the first major league player ever to sign a contract that calls for an average salary of $3 million per year.
Twenty-five year-old right-hander Bret Saberhagen (23-6, 2.16) signs a three-year extension with the Royals for $8.9 million. The Cy Young Award recipient barely misses being baseball’s first $3 million-a-year player; a mark Kirby Puckett will reach five days later when he comes to terms with the Twins for $9 million over three years.
1989 – Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins and Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres each win batting titles on the final day of the regular season. Puckett goes 2-for-5 to edge Carney Lansford, .339 to .336, while Gwynn goes 3-for-4 to beat Will Clark, .336 to .333.
On May 13, 1989, future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett ties a major league record by collecting four doubles in a game. Puckett’s four extra-baggers launch the Minnesota Twins to a 10-8 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He becomes the 35th player to hit four doubles in a game, the first since Toronto’s Damaso Garcia in 1986….
Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett, in a 10-6 victory over the Brewers, collects six hits and drives in four runs. The future Hall of Famer’s 6-for-6 day at Milwaukee’s County Stadium includes two homers and two doubles.
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