Ricky HendersonMajor League Baseball Hall of Famer and the league’s 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 in base stealing and leadoff hitting.”
“Rickey was one of the most accomplished and beloved athletes of all time,” Manfred wrote. “He also made an impact on many other clubs during a quarter-century career unlike any other. Rickey epitomized speed, power and fun as he set the tone at the top of the lineup. When we thought about the new rules of the game in recent years, we had in mind the era of Rickey Henderson.
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Henderson would have been 66 on Christmas Day.
No cause of death was immediately provided. Henderson’s wife, Pamela Henderson, released a statement through the Oakland Athletics in which she described her husband as “a devoted son, father, friend, grandfather, brother, uncle and 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 what words can express.”
The Chicago native, nicknamed “The Steal Man,” was one of the greatest players to don an A’s jersey and was widely considered one of the best hitters and base stealers in the history of the sport. During his 25-year career, he compiled 2,055 hits, 297 home runs and 1,115 RBIs. Her 1,406 stolen bases and 2,295 career runs remain Major League records.
He was a 10-time All-Star and won the league MVP in 1990 with the A’s, where he played most 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 Blue Jays, Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Henderson won two World Series titles, including 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 six days later the A’s retired his jersey.
