Major League Baseball Hall Of Famer Rickey Henderson Dies At 65
Rickey Henderson, the Major League Baseball Hall of Famer known as the “Man of Steal,” has died at age 65.
The death of the former Oakland Athletics player, who held the league’s all-time record for most bases stolen, was first reported by TMZ and confirmed by the New York Post and the Bay Area News Group.
Henderson, who would have turned 66 on Christmas, had been hospitalized with pneumonia prior to his death, a source told the Bay Area News Group.
The left fielder, who played for nine teams over his 25-year career but was most associated with the Oakland A’s, had a total of 1,406 bases stolen. He also set all-time records for runs scored and unintentional walks, according to the Hall of Fame. Former A’s general manager Billy Beane called him “the greatest leadoff hitter of all time,” per the Hall of Fame site.
When he broke the record for all-time bases stolen — formerly held by Lou Brock — in 1991, he lifted third base above his head in a now-iconic image and said in a speech he was the “the greatest of all time.”
The San Francisco Chronicle noted that he later clarified the statement after some backlash, saying, “I think everyone thought I meant I was the greatest player, but I said the greatest basestealer.”
