Remembering the great Rickey Henderson

Numbers don’t do Rickey Henderson justice. They don’t tell the full-level dominance that Henderson had in baseball. He was more than just a Hall of Famer and an all-time great in the sport of baseball. 

Henderson was a transformative figure. He moved past boundaries. In the 25 seasons he played in the major leagues and the nine teams he played for, Henderson made the game of baseball better. 

Because of Henderson, Gen-Z players have embraced the showmanship part of being a professional baseball player. Before Henderson came along, baseball needed a huge dose of fun. 

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson (left) attending the 2024 Harold & Carole Pump Foundation Celebrity Dinner on Aug. 16, 2024. Photo credit: Carlos Jones/News4usonline

Henderson was the right showman at the right time to usher in a new era to the American Classic. The chains, the self-assured bravado and the prancing he used to do in the batter’s box made for classic Rickey Henderson. All eyes were fixated on him. 

No pressure. That’s what he wanted. And when it came down to delivering, Henderson most often did it in a big way. He was a two-time World Series champ. He won a Gold Glove. 

Through the 25 seasons that he played, Henderson collected 3,055 hits, drove in 1,115 runs and scored 2,295 times. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of all the stupendous numbers Henderson put up. Not only could Henderson hit a baseball and hit with power, but he could also run.   

Henderson ran better and further than any player in Major League Baseball history. He was affectionately known as the “Man of Steal” because of his baserunning exploits. Henderson was a baserunning hawk, owning both the single-season and regular-season records for steals. 

Henderson is the gold standard having set the MLB mark of 1,406 base thefts in a career. Lou Brock, who was deemed the greatest base stealer in MLB history until Henderson came along and snatched up his all-time record, is a distant second at 938. 

Brock held the single-season mark of 118 before Henderson set the new record at 130 base swipes. Instead of being a professional football player which he aspired to be growing up, Henderson turned out to be one of baseball’s greatest all-everything players.   

OAKLAND, CA – MARCH 28: Oakland Athletics legend Rickey Henderson during batting practice prior to the Major League Baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum on March 28, 2019 in Oakland, CA. (Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire)

“My dream was to play football for the Oakland Raiders,” Henderson said in an excerpt from his Hall of Fame speech. “But my mom thought I would get hurt playing football, so she chose baseball for me. I guess mom do knows best.”  

Henderson was that guy. Baseball crosses generations. But some athletes transcend those mythical and nonfiction boundaries. Henderson was and is the best leadoff hitter in the history of baseball. That debate is not even close. 

Henderson was a lot more than just a statistical freak. He was a showman in every sense of the world. His flamboyant flair for the dramatic made baseball more attractive to watch. And fun. After Barry Bonds, Henderson was one of the greatest players who ever suited up in a baseball uniform. 

“I love the game of baseball,” Henderson said. “That’s why it was so hard for me to walk away from the game. I thought if Satchel Paige can start playing major league baseball at the age of 45, then with my dedication, hard work, and desire, I can play the game until my body said it was time to hang it up.”

Just like the unpredictable way that he played the game, the achievements of Henderson cannot be measured in a single category or defined in one statistical group. Henderson was an outlier, a person blessed with a unique blend of power and speed. 

“When you think of me, I would like you to remember that kid from the inner city that played the game with all his heart and never took the game for granted,” Henderson said. 

He hit nearly 300 home runs (297) in his career. Of the 25 years he played, Henderson smacked 100 hits or more in 19 seasons. He struck out 100 times or more in just one season. Henderson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. 

“Rickey Henderson was not only the greatest base stealer of all-time, but one of the most memorable personalities of his generation,” said Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the Board of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “The enthusiasm and energy he brought to Cooperstown each year will truly be missed. Our thoughts are with his wife, Pamela, and their family.”

Lead Photo Caption: OAKLAND, CA – MARCH 28: Oakland Athletics legend Rickey Henderson prior to the Major League Baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum on March 28, 2019 in Oakland, CA. (Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire)


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