Baseball has lost one of its true greats. TMZ and other outlets are reporting that Rickey Henderson died at age 65 in Oakland, California, on Friday, December 20. He passed away just five days short of his 66th birthday on Christmas Day, December 25. Per the outlet, "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." Pneumonia was mentioned as the cause of Henderson's death.
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Rickey Henderson Had Many Remarkable Achievements During His Playing Days
He Held The Record For Stolen Bases
Henderson was a left fielder who was also a Baseball Hall of Famer as of 2009. He played for two dozen seasons for these teams between 1979 to 2003: the Oakland A's, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Anaheim Angels, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League.
Per nbcsportsbayarea.com, "Arguably the greatest leadoff hitting MLB history, Henderson holds the MLB record for most runs scored with 2,295. He also finished with 297 home runs and 1,115 RBI. Henderson was selected to 10 MLB All-Star Games, won the 1990 AL MVP, earned three Silver Slugger Awards and won one Gold Glove. The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame inducted Henderson in 2020."
His skill at base-stealing earned Henderson the affectionate and respectful moniker, "Man of Steal." Henderson stole just over 1,400 bases in his career, which ended with his retirement in 2003. He surpassed Lou Brock's previous record of 938 stolen bases in 1991.
