Rickey Henderson, the Hall of Fame outfielder and MLB’s all-time leader in stolen bases, has passed away at 65. Reports say Henderson died in hospital after a brief bout of pneumonia.
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Saddened by the passing of our friend, Rickey Henderson, the greatest leadoff hitter in @MLB history! Was proud to induct him into our Hall of Game in 2015 along with Fergie Jenkins, Ozzie Smith and the late Luis Tiant. Condolences to his family, friends and legion of fans! pic.twitter.com/ZlVyjHwETY
— Bob Kendrick (@nlbmprez) December 21, 2024
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R.I.P. Rickey Henderson
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— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 21, 2024
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Henderson debuted in 1979 and played for 25 seasons, including four different stints with his hometown Oakland A’s. He also played for the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Mariners, Angels, Padres, Red Sox, and Dodgers. Henderson made ten All-Star teams and won two World Series rings, one with Oakland in 1989 and another with Toronto in 1993.
At the time of his retirement in 2003, Rickey Henderson was the all-time leader in both stolen bases (1,406) and runs scored (2,295). Add his 1990 MVP trophy and that isn’t just a Hall of Fame career, but an iconic one. Perhaps even legendary.
Stolen bases were always Henderson’s bread and butter. He stole 33 in his rookie year, at age 20, and then followed that with swiping 100 in 1980, his first full season. Henderson would wind up stealing 100 or more bases in a season three times, and led either the league or all MLB in steals 12 times. This included a spectacular 66-steal campaign with Oakland in 1998, his age-39 season.
But Rickey Henderson was no mere compiler despite how long he played. No, Rickey Henderson was a ballplayer. Even if fans only remember the stolen bases, more than half the man’s game was his personality. Whether it was referring to himself in the third person, watching too long at a fly ball that went from surefire home run to sudden hustle double, or bouncing from team to team just because he could, Henderson did it all with a smile and no complaints. Every bad game, criticism, whatever, he met with the same mindset:
“Don’t worry, Rickey. You’re still the best.”
Because for his generation, he simply was. Even as his career devolved to that of a veteran journeyman, Rickey Henderson continued to play at a high level. He had double-digit stolen bases in all but his last two seasons.
The highlight of Henderson’s career, among many, was his breaking Lou Brock’s career stolen base record on May 1, 1991. In the ensuing ceremony, he gave the usual thanks we expect from athletes: God, their families, teammates, team ownership and, in Rickey’s words, “all of you beautiful fans for supporting me.”
No, Rickey. Thank you.
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