Baseball world mourns passing of legendary Rickey Henderson
The baseball world lost one of its most iconic players over the weekend.
Rickey Henderson passed away this week, the New York Post confirmed Saturday. He was 65 and would have turned 66 on Christmas Day.
Considered by many to be the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, Henderson was most often associated with the Oakland area but was actually born in Chicago (where he lived until age 2).
He attended high school in Oakland before he was drafted by the A’s in the 4th round in 1976.
[MORE: ‘Sammy played hard’: Former Cubs manager Jim Riggleman reflects on the legacy of Sammy Sosa]
The Hall of Famer holds the MLB record for most career runs (2,295) and stolen bases (1,406). He stole a whopping 130 bags in 1982 and notched at least 100 stolen bases in 2 other seasons (1980, 1983).
Henderson won the AL MVP Award in 1990 with the A’s and was named to the All-Star team 10 times over his illustrious 25-year career.
Henderson spent 14 years with the A’s and also played for the Yankees, Padres, Mets, Mariners, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Angels and Dodgers.
Since most of his career came in the AL, he only played 19 games at Wrigley Field – where he hit .273/.430/.439 (.870 OPS) with 7 steals and 3 homers.