Rickey Henderson, a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer who was the league’s all-time stolen bases leader, has died at 65, the MLB announced Saturday.
MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred confirmed Henderson’s death in a statement, calling him “the gold standard of base stealing and leadoff hitting.”
“Rickey was one of the most accomplished and beloved Athletics of all-time,” Manfred wrote. “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.”
Henderson would have been 66 on Christmas Day.
The Chicago native, who was one of the greatest players to don the Oakland Athletics jersey, was also widely considered to be one of the best leadoff hitters and base stealers in the sport. During his 25-year career, he compiled 2,055 hits, 297 home runs and 1,115 RBIs. His 1,406 stolen bases and 2,295 career runs remain Major League records.
Jeff Chiu / AP
He was a 10-time All-Star and won the league MVP in 1990 with the Oakland Athletics, where he played the bulk of his career – 14 years over four different stints. He also spent seven years in New York – five with the Yankees and two with the Mets. He played with several other teams including the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blye Jays, Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Henderson won two World Series titles, once with Oakland in 1989 and again with Toronto in 1993. After retiring from playing, Henderson coached one year with the Mets.
He was inducted into Cooperstown as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2009 and just six days later the Oakland Athletics retired his jersey.
