Rickey Henderson, Major League Baseball's all-time base stealer, dies at 65
Rickey Henderson, the greatest base stealer in Major League Baseball history and one of the game’s most enduring players, has died, Major League Baseball confirmed Saturday.
Rickey Henderson, the greatest base stealer in Major League Baseball history and one of the game’s most enduring players, has died, Major League Baseball confirmed Saturday. He was 65.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred called Henderson the “gold standard of base stealing and leadoff hitting” in a statement Saturday that expressed the league’s condolences.
“Rickey epitomized speed, power and entertainment in setting the tone at the top of the lineup.” The Athletics, who next season will play in Sacramento after moving from Oakland, said Henderson was “undoubtedly the most legendary player in Oakland history.”
Oakland A's Rickey Henderson ready to run against the San Francisco Giants during the 1989 World Series in Oakland, Calif. Ron Riesterer / APA star high school athlete in Oakland, California, Henderson was drafted in 1976 by the A’s and made his MLB debut three years later, at just 20 years old. After 10 All-Star appearances, World Series championships with Oakland and Toronto, and a career nearly beyond compare, his final MLB game came in 2003, at age 44.
“Rickey lived his life with integrity, and his love for baseball was paramount,” his daughters and wife, Pamela Henderson, said in a statement posted to X by the Athletics. “Now, Rickey is at peace with the Lord, cherishing the extraordinary moments and achievements he leaves behind.”
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