1 month ago
26
Sports|Rickey Henderson, Baseball’s Flamboyant ‘Man of Steal,’ Dies at 65
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/sports/rickey-henderson-dead.html
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Widely regarded as the greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history, he was not just one of the game’s most exciting players, but also one of its most eccentric.
Dec. 21, 2024, 4:01 p.m. ET
Rickey Henderson, the thrilling and charismatic Hall of Fame outfielder who, with his signature crouched stance, blazing speed and unlikely home run power, was widely regarded as the greatest leadoff hitter in Major League Baseball history, has died. He was 65.
His death was confirmed by his friend and former teammate Dave Winfield, who said in an interview that Henderson “was one of the best players in the history of Major League Baseball.” He did not provide any other details, but an announcement from the league is expected.
Often called “the man of steal” by sportswriters, Henderson holds the career record for stolen bases with 1,406 — a mark unlikely to be swiped from him anytime soon, or perhaps ever. He stole more than 100 bases in three seasons, and his 130 in 1982 is still the single-season record.
Henderson also owns the record for runs scored, with 2,295. Eighty-one of those runs were the result of leadoff home runs — another record. His 2,190 walks rank him second behind Barry Bonds.
“Without exaggerating one inch, you could find 50 Hall of Famers who, all taken together, don’t own as many records, and as many important records, as Rickey Henderson,” the baseball statistician and historian Bill James once wrote.
Henderson played for nine teams over 25 seasons, but he spent most of his career with his hometown Oakland A’s (on four separate occaions) and the New York Yankees.
