R.I.P. Rickey Henderson

December 21, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder and Major League Baseball’s all-time stolen base king, Rickey Henderson, has died at the age of 65.

His death was confirmed by several major media news outlets on Saturday afternoon, including the New York Post and Fox Sports.

Henderson would’ve turned 66 on Christmas day.

TMZ has reported that Henderson died of pneumonia.

During his 25-season big league career, which spanned four decades from 1979 to 2003, Henderson, who is widely considered the greatest leadoff hitter in major league history, established records for most career stolen bases (1,406), runs (2,295) and leadoff home runs (81).

Twenty-two of those stolen bases and 37 of those runs came in a two-month stint with the Blue Jays in 1993 in which he helped lead them to their second consecutive World Series title.

In one of the most notable transactions in franchise history, on July 31, 1993, the Blue Jays acquired Henderson from the Oakland A’s in exchange for top pitching prospect Steve Karsay and a player to be named later (outfielder Jose Herrera).

The then 34-year-old Henderson didn’t exactly tear it up with the Blue Jays. Hitting atop the lineup, he batted just .215 in 44 regular season games, but his on-base percentage (OBP) was a healthy .356.

On August 13, 1993, after he had gone 8-for-35 with the Blue Jays wearing the No. 14, he paid Blue Jays back-up outfielder Turner Ward $25,000 for the jersey number 24, which the stolen base king had worn with the New York Yankees and A’s. The No. 24 didn’t improve Henderson’s fortunes at the plate. He went 27-for-124 (.218 batting average) in 34 regular season games wearing the number for the Blue Jays, but he did maintain a .372 OBP and steal 20 bases in those contests.

Henderson also posted a .393 OBP and had five walks in the six-game Fall Classic against the Philadelphia Phillies and was on base when Joe Carter belted his walk-off World Series-winning home run.

Hometown hero

Though he was born in Chicago, Ill., Henderson moved to Oakland and attended high school there. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1976 MLB draft by the A’s.

Three years later, on June 24, 1979, he made his big league debut against the Texas Rangers. Batting leadoff, he went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. It was a taste of what was to come from the speedster who would become the greatest player in Oakland A’s history.

Henderson topped the American League in stolen bases in his first five full seasons and his 130 stolen bases in 1982 set a single-season MLB record that still stands.

He was dealt to the Yankees following the 1984 season where he was an All-Star for each of his five seasons with the Bombers before being traded back to the A’s on June 21, 1989.

Tormented Blue Jays

By this time, Blue Jays fans were very familiar with Henderson, who had been tormenting them on the basepaths for years. But it was the Man of Steal’s performance for the A’s in the 1989 American League Championship Series that many Canadian baseball fans still talk about.

In that five-game series, Henderson almost single-handedly defeated the Blue Jays, going 6-for-15 (.400 batting average) with eight runs, two home runs and eight stolen bases. For his efforts, he named ALCS MVP.

In total, Henderson had 110 stolen bases against the Blue Jays during his career. That’s tied for the most that he had against any big-league club (He also had 110 against the Minnesota Twins).

Four tenures with A’s

Henderson had four different tenures with his hometown A’s. He also suited up with the aforementioned Yankees and Blue Jays, the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Along the way, he established a reputation for talking about himself in the third person. For example, after Ken Caminiti suggested that 50 per cent of major league players were using steroids in a September 2002 Sports Illustrated article, a reporter approached Henderson, then with the Red Sox, and asked him about Caminiti’s claim.

“Well, Rickey’s not one of them, so that’s 49 per cent right there,” Henderson responded.

Hall of Fame resume

On top of being the all-time MLB leader in stolen bases and runs, Henderson ranks second all-time in walks (2,190) and fourth in games played (3,081). He also recorded 3,055 hits (27th all-time) and finished with a 111.1 WAR (19th all-time). For his efforts, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2009.

In recent years, Henderson had been active at A’s events in Oakland and on the autograph circuit.

The Oakland A’s will move to Sacramento in 2025.

Henderson, the greatest Oakland A’s player, did not live to see the move.