The king of stolen bases is no more. Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson died Saturday at the age of 65.
Henderson is considered the greatest base stealer in baseball history. His 1,406 stolen bases place him 1st in the MLB, with 468 more than Lou Brock who comes in 2nd all-time.
Born in Chicago and raised in Oakland, Henderson played 14 of his 25 seasons for the Athletics in the city where he grew up. When he played his last game with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003, he was also the most in baseball history with 2,295 runs scored.
Last September, Henderson threw the ceremonial pitch for the A's final game in Oakland.
In 1982, he set a modern record by stealing 130 bases.
Henderson played games with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Red Sox from Boston.
He was a 10-time All-Star, a two-time World Series winner, the American's Most Valuable Player in 1990, and a three-time recipient of the Silver Bat.
He was elected to Cooperstown in 2009, his first year of eligibility.
“I send my deepest condolences to the family, friends and teammates of Rickey Henderson on his passing. He was truly a unique talent and an all-time great player,” said former Expos Tim Raines, on the X Network.
The list of his MLB records is long and impressive:
Most stolen bases: 1,406
Most points scored: 2,295
Most games with a home run to lead off a game: 81
Most unintentional walks: 2,129
Most consecutive seasons with at least one home run: 25
Most seasons leading the league in stolen bases: 12
