Rickey Henderson, Major League Baseball’s most prolific base-stealer and a Hall of Famer, passed away at the age of 65 on Saturday.
Henderson played for nine teams across a 25-year career, including stints with the New York Yankees an Mets. A brilliant resume is headlined by the major-league record for most stolen bases at 1,406 — 467 more than fellow Hall of Famer Lou Brock, who sits in second place on that list. He also holds the record for most runs scored at 2,295.
His career accolades also included the 1990 American League MVP Award, two World Series titles, three Silver sluggers, one Gold Glove, 1989 ALCS MVP honors, and induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 in his first year of eligibility.
“For multiple generations of baseball fans, Rickey Henderson was the gold standard of base stealing and leadoff hitting,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Rickey was one of the most accomplished and beloved Athletics of all-time. He also made an impact with many other Clubs during a quarter-century career like no other. He epitomized speed, power and entertainment in setting the tone at the top of the lineup. When we considered new rules for the game in recent years, we had the era of Rickey Henderson in mind.
“Rickey earned universal respect, admiration and awe from sports fans. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my deepest condolences to Rickey’s family, his friends and former teammates, A’s fans and baseball fans everywhere.”
Henderson spent the majority of his career with the Oakland Athletics, spending 14 years across four stints with the club (1979-1984, 1989-1993, 1994-1995, 1998). It is where he won his MVP, one of his World Series titles in 1990, and swiped 130 bags in 1982, which ranks second-most all-time in a single season.
He was traded to the Yankees following the 1984 season and spent four-plus years in the Bronx where he made the AL All-Star team every year.
“Rickey Henderson was an all-time great player who commanded our attention like few players before or since, transcending our traditional understanding of how elite and thrilling a single player could be in in the batter’s box and on the basepaths,” the Yankees wrote in a statement. “When he stepped across the white lines, he was magnetic. Opponents, teammates and fans simply couldn’t take their eyes off him. Though he spent just four and a half seasons in pinstripes, Rickey left an indelible mark on our record book, and he entertained us not only with his baseball talent, but with a no-nonsense personality and knack for showmanship that were ahead of its time. We will deeply miss Rickey for everything he brought to the game, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Pamela, daughters Angela, Adrianna, and Alexis, and all his family and friends.”
Henderson had stints with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he won the 1993 World Series win, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Angels before joining the Mets, where he played 152 games across two seasons between 1999 and the first month of the 2000 season. He was released in May prior to the team’s run to the National League pennant and signed with the Seattle Mariners. He had one more stint with the Padres before spending one season each with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, retiring after the 2003 season.
The longevity of Henderson’s career has been unmatched since. He ranks in the top 10 all-time in games played (No. 4, 3,081), plate appearances (No. 4, 13,346), walks (No. 2, 2,190), lead-off home runs (No. 2, 81) and unintentional walks (No. 2, 2,129).
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