Distracted Twins Decide to Play On

A day after Kirby Puckett’s death, the Minnesota Twins decided to play their exhibition against the New York Yankees in Tampa, Fla., because, they said, the former Twin outfielder would have wanted them to.

Pitcher Brad Radke remembered being a 15-year-old fan watching batting practice at the Metrodome when Puckett flipped him a baseball, and then how he told Puckett the story years later.

“Man, you make me feel old,” Puckett told him.

The Yankees’ Randy Johnson recalled how Puckett helped an older woman load her luggage into the overhead bin on a plane, then learned afterward it was Johnson’s mother. “That’s when I got an appreciation for what he was about off the field,” Johnson said.

And then there’s Torii Hunter, who walked into his first big-league spring training in 1997 surprised to see his locker next to Puckett.

“I was so nervous about Kirby, but when he came in, it was like any other guy,” Hunter said. “He’s like, ‘What’s up, man? How you doing? Get up and give me a hug.’ ”

Puckett was already retired for two years by then because of glaucoma that left him blind in his right eye. He was working in the Twins’ front office and helping out in spring training, but he made it a mission to help out Hunter.

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Catcher John Flaherty, 38, of the Boston Red Sox retired, ending his 14-year career with the team with which he started.

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Richard Hidalgo’s career with the Baltimore Orioles ended before he played a game for the team. They released the outfielder to allow him to pursue an opportunity in Japan.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates expect to have pitcher Kip Wells in the rotation by the All-Star break after his operation to correct a blocked artery.