Rickey Henderson — Baseball Hall of Famer, all-time MLB stolen base king and widely regarded as the greatest leadoff hitter ever — has died at the age of 65.
The A’s announced the news Saturday afternoon, as tributes poured in from around MLB. A cause of death has yet to be announced.
Henderson played for nine franchises over his 25-year MLB career, including four stints with the Oakland Athletics. He won two World Series and was named AL MVP in 1990. A 10-time All-Star, Henderson was the AL stolen base leader an unmatched 12 times and surpassed 100 steals in a single season on three occasions — one of only two players to accomplish the latter feat, alongside Vince Coleman.
In May 1991, Henderson’s base-stealing prowess earned him a place in baseball history when he swiped his 939th career base, breaking Lou Brock’s record. Henderson finished with 1,406 career stolen bases in his final MLB season in 2003, reinforcing the nickname “Man of Steal.”
It wasn’t just his feet that allowed Henderson to find success — he also did it with his bat. Henderson hit 297 home runs, drove in 1,115 runs and batted .279 in 3,081 games played. Of those 297 home runs, 81 came in leading off a game, an MLB record.
He also set MLB records for runs scored (2,295) and unintentional walks (2,129).
“If my uniform doesn’t get dirty, I haven’t done anything in the baseball game,” Henderson once said.
An impactful player all over the field
Henderson was born on Christmas Day 1958 on the way to the hospital in Chicago, which later led to him saying, “I was already fast. I couldn’t wait.”
After moving to Oakland when he was a child, Henderson became a multi-sport star in baseball, basketball, track and football. After turning down multiple scholarships to play football in college, he signed with the Athletics in 1976 after being drafted in the fourth round.
Three years later, Henderson made his MLB debut. In his first full season with the A’s, he broke Ty Cobb’s AL stolen base record with 100 steals and followed that two years later with 130, the first record previously held by Brock (118) that Henderson would break.
Henderson played his first six MLB seasons in Oakland before he was traded to the New York Yankees. He returned to Oakland in a June 1989 trade that helped boost the A’s toward a World Series title that year. Henderson stole 52 bases, hit nine home runs and drove in 35 runs in 85 regular-season games after the deal.
In the playoffs, he batted .441 with three home runs, eight RBI, 11 stolen bases and 32 total bases, earning ALCS MVP honors along the way to his first World Series championship.
Henderson’s play in the 1989 postseason continued into the 1990 regular season, as he won AL MVP after batting .325 with 65 stolen bases, 28 home runs, 119 runs scored and 61 RBI.
Henderson left Oakland for a second time in July 1993, when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. Unlike the first time he was dealt, he struggled in Toronto, hitting .215 in 44 regular-season games as he dealt with a broken bone in his hand. His issues at the plate continued into the postseason, as he hit .170 in 12 games with two RBI and three stolen bases. He did score 10 runs that October, including one after he was on base for Joe Carter’s World Series-winning home run in Game 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Following his time in Toronto, Henderson moved around often through the rest of his career, including two more stops in Oakland. He also played for the San Diego Padres, Anaheim Angels, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and, finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers in his final MLB season in 2003.
After his time with the Dodgers, Henderson played several years of independent ball while putting off retirement. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2009 class.
During his remarks after he broke Brock’s all-time steals record, Henderson alluded to his “I’m the greatest of all time” line. On stage in Cooperstown, he said his hero growing up was Muhammad Ali, who used the same line during his boxing career.
“That is something I always wanted to be,” Henderson said. “And now that the Association has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete.
“I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time. And at this moment, I am very, very humble.”
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