Oakland A’s Legend Rickey Henderson Has Passed Away at 65

Some kids grow up wanting to be Superman. But baseball kids wanted to be the Man of Steal. During the early hours of Saturday morning, Major League Baseball received quite a shock; another one of the greats is gone. Therefore, it is  with a heavy heart that we report that Oakland A’s legend Rickey Henderson has passed away at 65; just four days shy of his birthday.

Henderson was an athletic phenom that enjoyed a long tenure in professional sports. How long did he play for? As recorded in the Baseball Hall of Fame Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) played 25 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics.

Isn’t that just wild to think? How many players can say that their era was the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s as well as early 2000’s? Not many.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t just Rickey’s longevity in the game that was amazing to fans. But it’s what he DID on the field. For one thing, Henderson was known for being an elite leadoff hitter. One season in particular really showcased Henderson’s skills. Rickey Henderson’s 1990 MVP season was one of the best ever by a leadoff hitter, topping the majors with a . 439 OBP, 1.016 OPS and 119 runs. His efforts were awarded with the AL’s top honor.

And one other interesting leadoff fact on Henderson. Happened while playing for the A’s. Rickey is the Athletic’s franchise leader for leadoff home runs with 43.

Rickey Henderson Passes at 65

Yet, besides his hitting it’s also the excitement he caused stealing bases that will forever cement his historic impact and legacy. Rickey walked so the Acuna’s and Ohtani’s could run. Rickey Henderson is the all-time stolen bases leader, stealing 1,406 bases over the course of his entire career.

Although the all-time record for stolen bases in a season belongs to Hugh Nicol, who picked up 138 in 1887. In the modern era (post-1900), Rickey Henderson is undeniably the king of the base-paths. The “Man of Steal” stole 130 bases in 1982 with the Oakland A’s, demolishing the previous record of 118 set by Lou Brock in 1974.

Furthermore, just 2 years before Rickey had already made headlines. In his first major league season 1980, Henderson broke Hall of Famer Ty Cobb’s 65-year-old American League stolen base record of 96 with 100 swipes. As we mentioned at the outset, Ricky was a legend.

Oakland A’s Legend Rickey Henderson Has Passed Away at 65

On Saturday morning, fellow Hall of Famer Dave Winfield posted news of Rickey’s passing to his IG; which sparked the news fire and started to confirm that the initial rumors of Henderson’s passing was true. TMZ reports Henderson had been dealing with pneumonia. TMZ went on to later add:

“Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is dead after a bout with pneumonia … TMZ has learned.
Sources with direct knowledge tell us … Henderson passed away Friday in the Oakland area, and had been getting treatment at a hospital for a brief period.”

Henderson won two World Series during his career, in 1989 with Oakland and in 1993 with Toronto. He spent most of his career in left field and won a Gold Glove Award in 1981. He finished with a .279 batting average with 3,055 hits and 297 home runs.

Yes, Rickey touched the lives of MLB fans everywhere. So many tried to mirror their game after him. So many kids tried to emulate his batting stance. Baseball Hall of Famer Ricky Henderson stands immortalized in the history books as the one of the best to ever do it, and he shall be dearly missed.

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