Rickey Henderson, who forged a Hall of Fame career as the games stolen-base king, has died, MLB confirmed on Saturday after reports of his pa sing began to circulate. He was 65. that Henderson, who would have turned 66 on Christmas Day, died Friday in the Oakland, Calif., area after battling pneumonia. In a 25-year major league career, Henderson stole a record 1,406 bases and was selected to 10 All-Star teams. Rickey Henderson and Charlie Hayes (left), during the Old Timers game at Yankee Stadium on June 20, 2015. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post He sailed into Cooperstown in 2009 after receiving 94.8 percent of the Hall of Fame vote from the Baseball Writers A sociation of America. Explore More More than just a threat on the bases, Henderson set a standard as a leadoff hitter. He finished with a career .820 OPS, which included 297 homers and lifetime .279 batting average and .401 on-base percentage. For multiple generations of baseball fans, Rickey Henderson was the gold standard of base stealing and leadoff hitting, commi sioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. 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. Rickey 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 Henderson greeted at the plate after being driven in by a broken bat hit by Bobby Bonilla on Opening Day on April 12, 1999. New York Post One of the games most colorful personalities, Henderson was famous for referring to himself in the third person. Nothing is impo sible for Rickey, Henderson once said. You dont have enough fingers and toes to count out Rickey. Henderson is most remembered for tenure with the As the organization with which he arrived to the major leagues but he also had a succe sful stretch with the Yankees before playing Jim Gilliam Jersey for the Mets late in his career. Former Oakland Athletics legend and Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson stands outside the Athletics dugout before the Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees on Sept. 20, 2024. JOHN G MABANGLO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A product of Oakland Technical High School, Henderson was selected by the As in the fourth round of the 1976 draft. He debuted for his hometown team three years later. In 1980 he stole 100 bases the first of three seasons in which he reached that plateau. Hendersons 130 stolen bases in 1982 eclipsed Lou Brocks record of 120 in a season. After the 1984 season, the Yankees acquired Henderson in a deal that sent Jose Rijo, Eric Plunk, Stan Javier, Jay Howell and Tim Birtsas to Oakland. Henderson joined Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield to give the Yankees a formidable lineup, but the team never reached the playoffs in his four seasons. Rickey was simply the best player I ever played with, Mattingly said. He could change the outcome of a game in so many ways. It puts a smile on my face just thinking about him. Rickey Henderson was a force as a leadoff hitter. Getty Images For part of his tenure in The Bronx, Henderson was reunited with Billy Martin, his manager with the As under whom he thrived early in his career. After the 1988 season, Henderson was traded back to Oakland, in a deal for Plunk, Greg Cadaret and Luis Polonia. The As won the World Series in 1989, after Henderson was the ALCS Most Valuable Player. MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson waves to the fans before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at T-Mobile Park. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images The following year, Henderson won AL MVP honors for the first and only time in his career. In 1993, he was part of a Blue Jays team that won the World Series. But before leaving the As for a second time he had three stints with the club Henderson entered the record book by stealing his 939th base to break Brocks all-time record. Rickey Henderson spent two seasons with the Mets. New York Post Henderson stole third base against the Yankees at the Oakland Coliseum in 1991 and yanked the bag out of the ground, raising it above his head in celebration. Henderson arrived to the Mets before the 1999 season he was part of a team that reached the NLCS that year and stayed in Queens until May 2000, when he was released by the club. Rickey Henderson steals a base during the 1999 season. AP With the Mets I was really lucky to have him, former manager Bobby Valentine told The Post on Saturday. To have a great player at the end of their career is the worst thing any manager can wish for and he had some real good moments for us, its just that he was playing on about half-of-Rickey, and half-of-Rickey was still better than most. Henderson played the next 3 seasons with the Mariners, Padres, Red Sox and Dodgers before retirement at age 44. He was just amazing to watch, Hendersons former Yankees teammate Ron Guidry said. There were great outfielders. There were great base stealers. There were great home run hitters. Rickey was a combination of all those players. He did things out there on the field the rest of us dreamed of. Julio Urias Jersey
