Rickey Henderson was a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer who still holds the records for most runs and most stolen bases more than 20 years after his retirement.
- Died: December 20, 2024 (Who else died on December 20?)
- Details of death: Died at a San Francisco hospital after fighting pneumonia at the age of 65.
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Rickey Henderson’s legacy
Henderson was one of Major League Baseball’s great characters, known for his well-earned, playful boasting and for frequently referring to himself in the third person. His legend began with his unusual birth – in the back seat of an Oldsmobile on Christmas Day as his mother was trying to get to the hospital. Of the story, he liked to joke, “I was already fast.”
As he attended high school in Oakland, California, Henderson stood out not just in baseball, but also in football and basketball. In fact, he was heavily recruited to college football teams, receiving many scholarship offers, but he chose baseball and was drafted in 1976 by his hometown Oakland Athletics. He played for nine other major-league teams in his 25-season career, but the A’s were always home to him, and he returned to the team for four stints over the years.
Henderson was with the A’s when he won his first World Series, in 1989, having been traded back to the team by the New York Yankees early in the season. The bulk of his early years in baseball were spent with the two teams – he played for the A’s from his 1979 promotion from the minors until they traded him to the Yankees in 1984, and then again from his 1989 return until 1993. He was back with the A’s in 1994 after a brief stint with the Toronto Blue Jays – during which he won his second World Series – and he returned again in 1998. He also played for the San Diego Padres, Anaheim Angels, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers before his retirement.
With 25 years in Major League Baseball, Henderson was among the players with the most games under their belts. Having played 3,081 games, he was behind only Pete Rose (1941–2024), Carl Yastrzemski, and Hank Aaron (1934–2021). Over the course of those thousands of games, he became the league’s all-time leader in runs, with 2,295 – a full 50 more than runner-up Ty Cobb (1886–1961).
But even more impressive was Henderson’s stolen base record. He led the league in steals in 12 of his 25 seasons, and he was one of three modern-day players who stole 100 bases in a single season. Henderson did it three times, stealing 100 bases in 1980, 108 in 1983, and 130 in 1982. By 1991, he had broken Lou Brock’s (1939–2020) career stolen base record of 938, and he kept on going, totaling 1,406 stolen bases by his retirement. And those 1,406 steals weren’t Henderson’s only attempts – he also holds the record for times caught stealing, with 335 thwarted tries. His mastery of the stolen base – with his unforgettable head-first slide – led Henderson to be nicknamed the “Man of Steal.”
When he left Major League Baseball in 2005 at 44 years old, Henderson didn’t call it retirement. In fact, he continued to play for independent leagues for several years, and he refused to submit his retirement papers to MLB. After claiming to be taking a year off in 2006, he conceded in 2007 that he had retired. Around that time, he briefly worked as a special instructor and first-base coach for the Mets. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility. That same year, the A’s retired his No. 24 jersey.
Notable quote
“I don’t think some of the players understand what the people are about. The people are coming out to show you their appreciation of the game, and the player that you are. … I told myself that if I ever make it to the big leagues that I would be the one to appreciate the fans. Take a little time out to sign autographs and shake their hands and say hello to them.” — from a 2012 interview for Athletics Nation
Tributes to Rickey Henderson
Full obituary: The Mercury News
