Dodgers Nation Wishes Rickey Henderson A Happy 56th Birthday
Hall of Famer and one-time Dodger outfielder Rickey Henderson was born on this day 56 years ago in Chicago, Illinois. Henderson spent 30 games with the team back in 2003 and the Dodgers would be the last major league organization the he played for.
In those 30 games, Henderson hit .208 with two home runs and five RBI, while stealing three bases. He was signed after the All-Star break after a successful stint with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. The Dodgers were able to sign a future Hall of Famer in the final season of his 25-year career. Although he didn’t “officially” retire until 2007, Henderson was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2009 with 94.8% of the vote. It was the 13th-highest percentage in major league history.
Henderson was a 12-time stolen base champion, 10-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and a two-time World Series champion. He was named the AL MVP in 1990, won a Gold Glove in 1981 and won NL Comeback Player of the Year in 1999. Henderson owns a few major league records, including most career stolen bases (1,406), most career runs score (2.295), most career leadoff home runs (81) and the single-season record holder for stolen bases (130). He played for nine different teams, but was most prominent with the Oakland Athletics. Henderson played 14 seasons for the team and they retired his number 24 in 2009 after his induction.
Henderson was known for his flashy personality, as well as his speed. He would refer to himself in the third person and was very confident in his abilities. The now 56-year-old ended his career with 3,055 hits, 297 home runs and 517 doubles. He finished in the top-10 of MVP voting five times before finally winning it. Henderson stole at least 100 bases three times in his career and was the career leader in walks before Barry Bonds broke the record.