Rickey Henderson, legendary leadoff hitter, passes away at 65

Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, considered the greatest leadoff hitter in history and MLB’s all-time leader in stolen bases, leadoff home runs and runs scored, has passed away. He was 65.

“For multiple generations of baseball fans, Rickey Henderson was the gold standard of base stealing and leadoff hitting,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Rickey was one of the most accomplished and beloved Athletics of all-time. He also made an impact with many other Clubs during a quarter-century career like no other. He epitomized speed, power and entertainment in setting the tone at the top of the lineup. When we considered new rules for the game in recent years, we had the era of Rickey Henderson in mind.

“Rickey earned universal respect, admiration and awe from sports fans. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my deepest condolences to Rickey’s family, his friends and former teammates, A’s fans and baseball fans everywhere.”

"It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of my husband, Rickey Henderson. A legend on and off the field, Rickey was a devoted son, dad, friend, grandfather, brother, uncle, and a truly humble soul," Pamela Henderson said in a statement. "Rickey lived his life with integrity, and his love for baseball was paramount. Now, Rickey is at peace with the Lord, cherishing the extraordinary moments and achievements he leaves behind."

Henderson played for nine teams in a 25-year career that included the 1990 AL MVP Award, 10 All-Star selections, two World Series titles, three Silver Slugger Awards, one Gold Glove Award and the 1989 ALCS MVP Award. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility, appearing on 94.8 percent of ballots.

"Rickey Henderson is one of the greatest baseball players of all time," the A's said in a statement. "His on-field accomplishments speak for themselves, and his records will forever stand atop baseball history. He was undoubtedly the most legendary player in Oakland history and made an indelible mark on generations of A’s fans over his 14 seasons wearing the Green and Gold.

"For those who knew him personally, Rickey was much more than a franchise icon and a Baseball Hall of Famer. He was a friend and mentor to every player, coach, and employee who passed through the Oakland Coliseum or played a game on the field that came to bear his name.

"We are shocked and heartbroken by his passing. His loss will be felt not only by A’s fans but also by baseball fans around the world. The entire A's organization sends its sincere condolences to Rickey’s family and loved ones at this time."

For his career, Henderson batted .279/.401/.419 with 3,055 hits, 510 doubles, 66 triples, 297 home runs and 1,115 RBIs. He posted a career .820 OPS and 127 OPS+.

His 1,406 stolen bases are 467 more than Lou Brock swiped, and his 2,295 runs scored are 50 more than Ty Cobb’s total. At the time of his death, Henderson also ranked in the top 10 in games played (fourth, 3,081), plate appearances (fourth, 13,346), walks (second, 2,190), leadoff home runs (first, 81) and unintentional walks (first, 2,129).

Former A's general manager and president Sandy Alderson had high praise for Henderson in a statement Saturday night.

"I traded Rickey Henderson twice and brought him back more times than that. He was the best player I ever saw play," Alderson said.

"He did it all -- hit, hit for power, stole bases, and defended -- and he did it with a flair that enthused his fans and infuriated his opponents. But everyone was amused by his personality, style, and third-person references to himself. He was unique in many ways.

"Rickey stories are legion, legendary, and mostly true. But behind his reputation as self-absorbed was a wonderful, kind human being who loved kids. His true character became more evident over time. Nine different teams, one unforgettable player. Sandy gonna miss Rickey."

Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson was born in Chicago on Christmas Day 1958. He moved to Oakland with his family at the age of 7. Growing up in the shadows of the Oakland Coliseum, home of the A’s from 1968-2024, Henderson starred at nearby Oakland Technical High School as a three-sport standout in baseball, basketball and football. Despite his first love being football with a dream of one day playing for the Raiders and many believing he had the speed and talent to excel as a running back in the pros, Henderson stuck with baseball and was drafted by the A’s out of high school in the fourth round of the 1976 Draft.

Though he played for nine different Major League teams, Henderson will forever be remembered for his time in the green and gold. He spent 14 seasons of his 25-year Hall of Fame career and made six of his 10 All-Star teams with the A’s. Of the 12 seasons he led the league in stolen bases, nine came playing for Oakland, including a Major League-record 130 swiped bags in 1982 that remains the single-season record.

Henderson spent the first six seasons of his career with the A’s before a trade sent him to the Yankees for Tim Birtsas, Jay Howell, Stan Javier, Eric Plunk and José Rijo. After four years in New York, Henderson was dealt back to the A’s – with Plunk returning to the Yankees – midway through the ’89 season and electrified from the leadoff spot as Oakland went on to win the World Series. A free agent after the season, Henderson signed a four-year, $12 million contract – a record at the time – to stay in Oakland. He backed it up the next season, capturing the AL MVP Award by leading MLB in runs (119), on-base percentage (.439), OPS (1.016) and OPS+ (189).

The next season, on May 1, 1991, Henderson stole third base in the bottom of the fourth against the Yankees. It was the 939th swipe of his career, surpassing Brock for the all-time record. He’d steal another 467 after that – which would rank 48th all time.

Playing in the final year of his contract in 1993, Henderson was traded at the Deadline to Toronto and helped the Blue Jays win their second consecutive World Series. It was a short stay – after the season, he signed a two-year deal to return to the A’s.

A free agent again in ’95, Henderson signed with the Padres, who traded him to the Angels in August 1997. In January 1998, he signed on with the A’s for the final time, playing one more season with his original team. At the age of 39, he led the Majors with 66 stolen bases and the AL with 118 walks. He was back in New York in 1999 at the age of 40, signing with the Mets. He hit .315/.423/.466 at the age with 37 steals in his age-40 season, helping the Mets reach the NLCS. He fell out of favor during the 2000 season and was released that May. He spent the rest of the season with the Mariners.

In 2001, Henderson was back in San Diego; in 2002, he was with Boston. Unable to draw any interest from a Major League team at the age of 43, Henderson signed with the independent Newark Bears in 2003 and did enough there – hitting .339/.493/.591 in 56 games – to sign on with the Dodgers at the All-Star break, playing the final 30 games of his MLB career with Los Angeles. He returned to Newark in 2004 and spent ’05 with the independent San Diego Surf Dawgs at the age of 46 before putting away his cleats.

Few connections between player and team have carried a love as strong as the one Henderson developed playing for his hometown team in front of the Oakland faithful. After his playing career, Henderson remained a mainstay in the A’s clubhouse as a special assistant to the president, often suiting up in full uniform to take part in pregame drills with the team both in Spring Training and during the regular season. The A’s also honored their organization’s greatest player by naming the Oakland Coliseum playing surface “Rickey Henderson Field” in 2017. Before the A's played their final game at the Coliseum in 2024, Henderson and former teammate Dave Stewart were enlisted to throw out the ceremonial first pitches.

Henderson remains the A’s all-time leader in bWAR (72.7), runs (1,270), walks (1,227) and stolen bases (867).

Former longtime A’s GM and executive vice president and current senior advisor to the managing partner Billy Beane, who was also a teammate of Henderson’s in ’89, is one of many figures around baseball who have declared Henderson to be the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, adding “I’m not sure there’s a close second.”