Baseball Hall of Famer and “Man of Steal” was 65

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and former Oakland Athletics star Rickey Henderson has died. He was 65.

The 1990 American League MVP died of pneumonia on Friday, December 20, in Oakland, California, according to American League reports New York Post and NBC News Bay Area. He would have been 66 years old on Christmas Day,

Henderson’s former teammate Dave Winfield expressed his condolences and reflected on the star player’s time in the MLB. In a Dec. 21 Instagram post, he wrote, “I still can’t believe I lost one of my favorite teammates and great friend Rickey Henderson. “Rest” in peace.”

Born in Chicago and raised in Oakland, Henderson began his career as a star athlete at Oakland Technical High, where he played both baseball and football during his run, according to the local newspaper Mercury News. His mother Bobbie later persuaded him to focus on baseball because she didn’t want him to get injured playing soccer.

“I guess mom knows best,” Henderson joked during his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2009 mercury and NBC. “Thanks, Mom.”

He was first drafted into the MLB by the Athletics in the fourth round of the 1976 draft and made his debut at the age of 20 on June 24, 1979 when the team faced the Texas Rangers. Although the A’s lost the game, Henderson quickly became known for his stolen bases and runs, setting records throughout his career and earning the title of “Man of Steal” for his records.

Henderson played for the A’s four times over the course of his career for a total of 14 seasons and also had stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003, the Boston Red Sox in 2022 and the San Diego Padres for three seasons from 1996 to 1997 in 2001, the Seattle Mariners in 2000, the New York Mets for two seasons in 1999 and 2000, the Anaheim Angels in 1997, the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 (where he won his second World Series) and the New York Yankees for five seasons from 1985 to 1989.

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During his second stint in Oakland, Henderson broke Lou Brock’s all-time stolen bases record when he caught his 939th base against the Yankees in 1991. as Henderson ripped the third base marker out of the ground and held it in the air while giving a speech to the crowd.

“Lou Brock was the symbol of great base stealing,” he famously said, according to MLB. “But today I’m the greatest of all time.”

In his 24 seasons in the MLB, he stole 1,406 bases, scored 2,295 runs, had 81 leadoff home runs and was an All-Star ten times The Guardian.

“My favorite hero was Muhammad Ali,” Henderson said during his introductory speech in Cooperstown, NY. “He once said, quote, ‘I am the greatest,’ end of quote. That was something I always wanted to be, and now that the (Baseball Writers’ Association of America) has elected me to the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete. Now I’m one of the best players of all time and at this moment I’m very, very humbled.