Rickey Hendersona Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and all-time leader in stolen bases has died at the age of 65, MLB announced Saturday.
MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred confirmed Henderson’s death in a statement, calling him “the gold standard for stealing bases and hitting leadoff.”
“Rickey was one of the most accomplished and beloved track athletes of all time,” Manfred wrote. “He has made an impact like no other at many other clubs during his quarter-century career. Rickey epitomized speed, power and entertainment by setting the tone at the top of the line-up. As we considered new rules of the game in recent years , we had the Rickey Henderson era in mind.”
Jeff Chiu/AP
Henderson would have turned 66 on Christmas Day.
No cause of death was immediately given. Henderson’s wife, Pamela Henderson, released a statement through the Oakland Athletics describing her husband as “a devoted son, father, friend, grandfather, brother, uncle and a truly humble soul.”
She also expressed the family’s “sincere gratitude to MLB, the Oakland A’s and the incredible doctors and nurses at UCSF who cared for Rickey with dedication and compassion. Your prayers and kindness mean more than words can express.”
Nicknamed the “Man of Steal,” the Chicago native was one of the best players to wear the A jersey and was widely regarded as one of the best leadoff hitters and base stealers in the history of the sport. During his 25-year career, he collected 2,055 hits, 297 home runs and 1,115 RBIs. Are 1,406 stolen bases and 2,295 career runs remain Major League records.
He was a ten-time All-Star and won league MVP in 1990 with the A’s, where he played most of his career: fourteen years in 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 Blue Jays, Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Henderson won two World Series titles, one with Oakland in 1989and again with Toronto in 1993. After retiring from playing, Henderson coached for a year with the Mets.
He was inducted into Cooperstown as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2009, and just six days later the A’s retired his jersey.
