| Kirby Puckett has a stroke
Hall of Famer Puckett suffers strokeAssociated Press
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Former Minnesota Twins center fielder Kirby Puckett had a stroke at his Arizona home Sunday and was taken to a hospital for surgery, the team announced from its spring training camp.
AP Photo
Puckett was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.
The 44-year-old Puckett, who led Minnesota to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991 and is a member of the Hall of Fame, was taken to a Scottsdale hospital.
"The Minnesota Twins and major league baseball ask fans to keep Kirby and his family in their thoughts and prayers," the team said in a statement.
The Twins played the Boston Red Sox in an exhibition game Sunday at their spring training complex here. Center fielder Torii Hunter sat out the game after learning about the stroke.
Puckett, who broke in with Minnesota in 1984, had a career batting average of .318. Glaucoma forced Puckett to retire in 1996 after 12 seasons with the Twins when he went blind in one eye.
Puckett is divorced and has two children. |