Rickey Henderson, Who Finished Hall of Fame Career With Dodgers, Dies at 65
Hall of Famer and legendary base stealer Rickey Henderson has died. He was 65 years old.
The New York Post was the first major outlet to confirm the news.
Over his 25-year career, he played for nine teams, including the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays.
As Henderson evolved throughout his career, his personality became one of the the most unique things about him as he told stories and spoke about himself in the third person referring to himself as “Rickey.”
Born on Dec. 25, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois, Henderson grew up in Oakland, California. A standout high school athlete, he excelled as a running back but chose baseball over football, passing on multiple scholarship offers to sign with the Oakland Athletics in 1976.
Henderson made an immediate impact in the majors. In 1980, his first full season, he shattered Ty Cobb’s 65-year-old American League stolen base record of 96 with an incredible 100 steals. Two years later, in 1982, he broke Lou Brock’s MLB single-season stolen base record of 118, finishing with an astounding 130 steals.
Rickey went on to earn the nickaname, “Man of Steal,” he led the American League in stolen bases 12 times, and set the all-time record with 1,406 steals. He stole at least 100 bases three times during his career.
Even at age 39, he was a force on the basepaths, swiping 66 bases in 1998 with the A’s.
Rickey, who was most popular for his 14 years with the Athletics, finished his playing career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He appeared in 30 games during the 2003 season batting .208 with a double, two home runs, five runs batted in, and three stolen bases.
Rickey also owns the records for most times caught stealing (335) and the most runs scored in MLB history (2,295). He earned the AL MVP award in 1990, shortly after helping the A’s secure the 1989 World Series title. Later in his career, he added another championship with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993.
At the plate, he posted a .279 career batting average, collected 3,055 hits, and hit 297 home runs. Known for his dynamic energy and passion for the game, he captivated fans with his electrifying style.
Rickey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Sad to hear about Rickey, he really was one of the best of all time. A bit out there perhaps, but a great baseball player. Wonder what the cause of death was, he was relatively young at only 65, and the last I knew appeared to still be in great shape.
Moment of silence………………………
Thank you. And Bon Voyage Rickey.