Might as well get on the bandwagon.
If MLB.com can recall an incredible weekend turned in by Twins’ Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, I can do the same, right? I also need something to write about and this fits the bill perfectly.
During the weekend of Aug. 29-30, 1987, the Twins found themselves in Milwaukee and still in contention for the division lead in the old AL West. The Twins capped the month with a losing record, but if they needed a spark to propel them into September, they got it in a huge way from their 5-foot-8 centerfielder. Puckett wasn’t big in terms of stature, but he certainly could stand with the giants with his bat.
In Game 1, Puckett delivered a 4-for-5 day at the plate, including two home runs, with three runs scored and two RBI in a 12-3 thrashing of the Brewers. But he was far from done. In Game 2, Kirby topped that Saturday performance with six hits in six trips to the plate, including two more home runs, four runs scored and four RBI in another double-digit win, 10-6.
“It’s the best Saturday and Sunday I’ve ever seen a player have,” said Oregonian and Brewers Manager Tom Trebelhorn to the Associated Press in a game story that was picked up by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
I looked for coverage of the weekend series by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but it appears the Journal Sentinel archives are not part of Newspapers.com, which is seriously lame, by the way.
The rest of the AP story:
“Don’t ask the Milwaukee Brewers how to get Minnesota Twins centerfielder Kirby Puckett out. They don’t have a clue.
“Puckett followed a 4-for-5, two-homer performance Saturday night with a club-record 6-for-6 effort Sunday, one that included two more homers, four RBIs and a leaping catch that should make every season-ending highlight show. Puckett’s heroics led the Twins to a 10-6 victory that moved them back into first place in the American League West.
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve felt this good at the plate. I feel great up there now,” Puckett said. “I’m laying off the high pitches, laying off the ones in the dirt and just going up looking for a good pitch to hit. I don’t know what to say. I’m just doing the best I can.
“Puckett tied a major league record and broke an American League record with his 10 hits in two consecutive nine-inning games.”
The Twins were 13-15 in August 1987, but went 16-11 the following month to win the division. You know the rest of the story. If you don’t, the Twins ultimately knocked off the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games to win the World Series.
Extra innings…
Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse has revealed his Turkey of the Year, which went to Joe Pohlad of the Pohlad family that owns the Twins. I’m not sure he deserved the dishonor, but I did wholeheartedly agree with Reusse about one of his dishonorable mentions: Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations.
Reusse rapped his knuckles over the gobbledygook he served up about the departure of former GM Thad Levine.
Sources: Newspapers.com, MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com.