Rickey Henderson — Hall of Fame left fielder and beloved baseball icon — died Saturday after a long battle with pneumonia. He was 65.
And while the MLB leader in stolen bases played most of his career with the A’s, he also spent nearly seven seasons in New York, where he played with the Yankees and Mets.
Henderson’s Big Apple story began in December 1984, when the A’s sent him and pitcher Bert Bradley to the Yankees in exchange for five players.
In his first season in pinstripes, Henderson went to the number that would make him famous, 24, and went on to lead the league in stolen bases (80) and runs scored (146). This made him the first player since 1939 to score more runs than games played).
During the 1985 season, his .314 batting average was fourth best in the majors and he received the AL’s Silver Slugger Award.
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Neil Miller
In his next three and a half seasons with the Yankees, Henderson set the franchise record with 326 stolen bases.
Derek Jeter eventually broke that record, even though the shortstop had already played 1,700 more games than Henderson ever played in pinstripes.
The righty speedster was traded back to Oakland in June 1989 and bounced between the Blue Jays, Padres and Angels before landing in New York again, this time with the Mets in 1999.
Henderson enjoyed a resurgence of sorts, earning Comeback Player of the Year honors with a .315 batting average, 37 steals and the seventh-highest on-base percentage in the National League.
His prowess at the top helped the Mets reach the postseason for the first time since 1988.
Just 31 games into his age-41 season in 2000, after declining numbers and a controversial card play during the finals of the 1999 NLCS, the Mets placed him on waivers and granted a release.
Henderson briefly served on the Mets’ coaching staff in 2006/07, first as a special hitter and base stealer instructor and later as first base coach.
