Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson
Henderson as Mets' first base coach in 2007
Left fielder
Born: December 25, 1958 (1958-12-25) (age 50)
Chicago, Illinois
Batted: Right Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 24, 1979
for the Oakland Athletics
Final game
September 19, 2003
for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Career statistics
Runs scored     2,295
Hits     3,055
Stolen bases     1,406
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • 10x All-Star selection (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991)
  • 2x World Series champion (1989, 1993)
  • 3x Silver Slugger Award winner (1981, 1982, 1985)
  • Gold Glove Award winner (1981)
  • 1990 AL MVP
  • 1989 ALCS MVP
  • 1999 AL Comeback Player of the Year

MLB Records

Rickey Henley Henderson (born as Rickey Nelson Henley, December 25, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who is baseball's all-time leader in stolen bases[1] and runs scored.[2] He also holds the single-season record for stolen bases. In a 25-year career with nine clubs, Henderson's high on-base percentage, power, runs scored, and stolen base totals made him the premier leadoff hitter of his era; many consider him the best ever.[3][4]

In 1982, he set the modern major league single season record for stolen bases at 130. He set the modern major league record for career stolen bases on May 1, 1991.[5] At the time of his last major league game in 2003, Henderson ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters; he was also the all-time leader in walks with 2,190, a record since surpassed by Barry Bonds in 2007.

Henderson was the leadoff hitter for two World Series champions: the 1989 Oakland Athletics (A's) and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. He played for seven other teams during his career, including the New York Yankees, the San Diego Padres, and the New York Mets. Henderson was a 12-time stolen base champion, and led the league in runs five times.

When asked if he thought Rickey Henderson was a Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers."[6]

Contents

Early years and personal life

Henderson was born Rickey Nelson Henley, named after musician Ricky Nelson[7] to John L. and Bobbie Henley in Chicago on Christmas Day, 1958, in the back seat of a 57 Chevy on the way to the hospital.[7] His father left home when he was two years old, and the rest of his family moved to Oakland, California when Henderson was seven.[8] His father died in an automobile accident when he was 12. When he was a junior in high school, his mother married Paul Henderson and the family adopted his surname.[7] When first learning to play baseball in Oakland, Henderson learned to bat right-handed even though he was a natural left-handed thrower — a rare combination for baseball players, especially non-pitchers. Only two other such players with careers of more than 4,000 at-bats, Hal Chase and Cleon Jones, bat right and threw left.[9] Henderson later said, "All my friends were right-handed and swung from the right side, so I thought that's the way it was supposed to be done."[10]

He graduated in 1976 from Oakland Technical High School, where he played baseball, basketball, and football, in which he was an All-American running back. He received two dozen scholarship offers to play football, but turned them down.[11] Henderson was drafted by Oakland Athletics in the fourth round in 1976.[12] In each of his four minor league seasons, he batted .309 or better, with an on base percentage of .417 or better, and more walks than strikeouts.[13] In May 1977, Henderson stole seven bases in one game, tying the minor league record.[14] Henderson played the 1978–1979 winter season for the Navojoa Mayos of the Mexican Pacific League, which won its first championship in 30 years.[15]

Henderson married his high-school sweetheart, Pamela. They have three children: Angela, Alexis, and Adriann.[10][16]

Major leagues

Oakland Athletics (1979–1984)

Henderson made his major-league debut with Oakland on June 24, 1979, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base.[17] Henderson batted .274 with 33 stolen bases in 89 games.[18] A's owner Charlie Finley hired Billy Martin as manager in 1980, and Martin's aggressive "Billy Ball" philosophy helped catapult Henderson into stardom.[19] Henderson became the 3rd modern-era player to steal 100 bases in a season (Maury Wills (104) and Lou Brock (118) had preceded him).[20] His 100 steals set a new American League record, surpassing Ty Cobb's 96, set in 1915.[20] That winter, Henderson played in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, where his 42 stolen bases broke that league's record as well.[21]

Henderson was a serious Most Valuable Player candidate a year later, in a season shortened by a players' strike. He hit .319, fourth in the American League, led the league in hits with 135, and in steals with 56. Finishing second to Milwaukee's Rollie Fingers in the MVP voting, Henderson's fielding that season also earned him his only Gold Glove Award. Rickey Henderson later became known for his showboating "snatch catches," in which he would flick his glove out at incoming fly balls, then whip his arm behind his back after making the catch.[22]

Henderson steals third base for the New York Yankees in 1988

In 1982, Henderson broke Lou Brock's modern major league record by stealing 130 bases, a total which has not been approached since. He stole 84 bases by the All-Star break; no player has stolen as many as 84 bases in an entire season since 1988, when Henderson himself stole 93. Tim Raines had the next highest stolen base total in 1982 behind Henderson's 130 steals, with 78.[23] As his muscular frame developed, Henderson continued to improve as a hitter. He developed an increased power-hitting ability, which would eventually lead to the record for home runs to lead off a game. For his career, he would hit more than 20 home runs in four different seasons, with a high of 28 in 1986 and again in 1990.[24]

Henderson adopted an exaggerated crouch as his batting stance, which reduced his strike zone without sacrificing much power. Sportswriter Jim Murray described Henderson's strike zone as being "smaller than Hitler's heart."[25] In 1982, he described his approach to Sports Illustrated:

"I found that if I squatted down real low at the plate... I could see the ball better. I also knew it threw the pitcher off. I found that I could put my weight on my back foot and still turn my hips on the swing. I'm down so low I don't have much of a strike zone. Sometimes, walking so much even gets me mad. Last year Ed Ott of the Angels got so frustrated because the umpire was calling balls that would've been strikes on anybody else that he stood up and shouted at me, "Stand up and hit like a man." I guess I do that to people."[26]

New York Yankees (1985–1989)

Henderson playing for the New York Yankees in 1987

In 1985, Henderson was traded to the New York Yankees for five players.[27] That year he led the league in runs scored (146) and stolen bases (80), was fourth in the league in walks (99) and on base percentage (.419), and had 24 home runs while hitting .314.[28] He also won the Silver Slugger Award, and was third in the voting for the MVP. His 146 runs scored were the most since Ted Williams had 150 in 1950,[29] and he became the first player since Lou Gehrig in 1936 to amass more runs scored than games played. Henderson became the first player in Major League history to reach 80 stolen bases and 20 home runs in the 1985 season. He matched the feat in 1986, as did the Reds' Eric Davis; they remain the only players in Major League history who are in the "80/20 club".[24][30]

In 1986, he led the AL in runs scored (130) and stolen bases (87) for the second year in a row, and was 7th in walks (89).[31] In 1987, he had an off-season by his standards, fueling criticism from the New York media, which had never covered Henderson or his eccentricities kindly.[32] Yankees owner George Steinbrenner issued a press release claiming that manager Lou Piniella wanted to trade Henderson for "jaking it" (playing lackadaisically).[33] Still, Henderson had his best on base percentage (OBP) to that point in his career (.423), and was fifth in the AL in stolen bases (41) despite playing only 95 games.[34] In 1988, Henderson led the AL in stolen bases (93), was third in runs scored (118), fifth in OBP (.394), and seventh in walks (82), while hitting .305.[24] While only in New York for four and a half seasons, Henderson stole 326 bases, still the Yankees franchise record.[35]

Back to Oakland (1989–1993)

Following a mid-season trade to Oakland in 1989, Henderson reasserted himself as one of the game's greatest players, with a memorable half-season in which his 52 steals and 72 runs scored led the A's into the postseason.[24] His 126 walks for the year were the most for any AL hitter since 1970. With a record 8 steals in five games, Henderson was MVP of the American League Championship Series; he hit .400 while scoring 8 runs and delivering two home runs, 5 runs batted in (RBI), 7 walks and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Leading the A's to a four-game sweep over the San Francisco Giants and the franchise's first World Series title since 1974, Henderson hit .474 with a .895 slugging average (including two triples and a homer), while stealing three more bases.[24]

A year later, Henderson finished second in the league in batting average with a mark of .325, losing out to George Brett on the final day of the season. Henderson had a remarkably consistent season, with his batting average falling below .320 for only one game, the third of the year. Reaching safely by a hit or a walk in 125 of his 136 games, his on-base average was a league-leading .439. With 119 runs scored, 28 homers, 61 RBI and 65 stolen bases, Rickey Henderson won the 1990 MVP award and helped Oakland to another pennant. He again performed well in the World Series (.333 batting, .667 slugging, 3 steals in 4 games), but the A's were swept by the underdog Cincinnati Reds.[36]

On May 1, 1991, Henderson stole his 939th base to become the sport's all-time stolen base leader.[5]

1993–2000

In July 1993, the Athletics traded Henderson to the playoff-bound Toronto Blue Jays for Steve Karsay and José Herrera.[24] He was involved in the final play of the World Series that year, as he and Paul Molitor scored on Joe Carter's Series-ending walk-off home run.[37] After winning his second World Series ring with Toronto, he re-signed as a free agent with Oakland in December 1993.[24]

In 1994 and 1995, Henderson finished in the top 10 in the league in walks, steals, and on base percentage.[38] His .300 average in 1995 marked his sixth and final season in the American League with a .300 or better average. He signed with the San Diego Padres in the offseason, where he had another respectable year in 1996, again finishing in the top ten in walks, OBP and steals, and runs.[39] In August 1997, he was traded by the Padres to the Anaheim Angels for Ryan Hancock and Stevenson Agosto;[24] his brief stint as an Angel was uneventful. In January 1998, he signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics, the fourth different time he played for the franchise.[24] That season he led the American League in stolen bases (66) and walks (118), while scoring 101 runs.[40]

A year later, Henderson signed as a free agent with the New York Mets. In 1999, he batted .315 with 37 steals and was 7th in the National League in on base percentage — his .423 OBP was his 9th year in a row above .400.[24][41] Nonetheless, Henderson and the Mets were an uneasy fit. Henderson broke with team tradition and wore number 24, which - although not officially retired - was not worn by a Mets player since Willie Mays (the number was accidentially issued to Kelvin Torve in 1990, and quickly changed).[42] Following the Mets' loss in the 1999 NLCS, the New York press made much of a card game between Henderson and Bobby Bonilla. Both players had been substituted out of the lineup, and they reportedly left the dugout before the playoff game had concluded.[43] In May 2000 he was released by New York, and quickly signed as a free agent with the Seattle Mariners. Despite the late start, he finished fourth in the AL in stolen bases (31).[44]

2001–2003

Henderson with Boston in 2002

A free agent in March 2001, he returned to the San Diego Padres. During the 2001 season, Henderson broke two major league records and reached a career milestone. He broke Babe Ruth's all-time record for walks,[39] Ty Cobb's all-time record for runs,[45] and on the final day of the season, he had his 3,000th career hit.[46] That final game was also Padre legend Tony Gwynn's last major league game, and Henderson had originally wanted to sit out so as not to detract from the occasion, but Gwynn insisted that Henderson play.[47] At the age of 42, in his last substantial major league season, Henderson finished the year with 25 stolen bases, ninth in the NL.[24] It also marked Rickey Henderson's 23rd consecutive season with more than 20 steals.[24] Of the ten top base stealers who were still active as of 2002, all nine of the others stole fewer bases in 2002 than the 42-year-old Henderson.[48]

In February 2002, he signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox, where he became the oldest player to play center field in major league history when he stood in for starter Johnny Damon. Henderson's arrival was marked by a statistical oddity. During the 22 and a half years since his June 1979 debut through the end of the 2001 season, he had stolen more bases by himself than his new team had: 1,395 steals for Henderson, 1,382 for the Boston franchise. The Red Sox finally "passed" Henderson on April 30, 2002. At 43, Henderson was the oldest player in the American League.[49]

As the 2003 season began, Henderson was without a team for the first time in his career. He played in the independent Atlantic League with the Newark Bears, hoping for a chance with another major league organization. After much media attention, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him over the All-Star break.[50]

Retirement

Before the 2003 season, his last, Henderson discussed his reputation for hanging onto his lengthy baseball career:

Each and every day I set a record, but we never talk about it. We'll talk about a home run hitter 24/7. Well, they haven't broken any all-time records, but they hit homers, and that's what matters nowadays. You continue playing, you accomplish a lot, and you'd think people would look at it as a fantastic career. Instead, I think people want me to quit more than anything.[51]

Henderson played his last major league game September 19, 2003; he was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance, and came around to score his 2,295th run. Though it became increasingly unlikely that he would return to major league action, his status continued to confound, as he publicly debated his own official retirement from professional baseball.[52] After leaving the Dodgers, Henderson started his second consecutive season with the Newark Bears in the spring of 2004. In 91 games he had a .462 OBP, more than twice as many walks (96) as strikeouts (41), and stole 37 bases while being caught only twice.[13] On May 9, 2005, Henderson signed with the San Diego Surf Dawgs of the Golden Baseball League, a Class-A independent league. This was the SurfDawgs' and the Golden Baseball League's inaugural season and Henderson helped the SurfDawgs to the league championship. In 73 games he had a .456 OBP, 73 walks while striking out 43 times, and 16 steals while being caught only twice.[53]

Henderson would not accept the end of his MLB career. In May 2005, he was still insisting that he is capable of playing in the major leagues. NBC and ESPN reported that Henderson had announced his much-delayed official retirement on December 6, 2005, but his agent denied the report the following day. On February 10, 2006, Henderson accepted a position as a hitting instructor for the New York Mets, while leaving the door open to returning as a player. In July 2006, Henderson discussed an offer he'd received to rejoin the SurfDawgs for the 2006 season, which would have been his 31st in professional baseball, but suggested he'd had enough. But six weeks later, on August 11, Henderson claimed "It's sort of weird not to be playing, but I decided to take a year off," adding, "I can't say I will retire. My heart is still in it... I still love the game right now, so I'm going to wait it out and see what happens."[54]

On May 8, 2007, Henderson again expressed his unquenchable desire to return to major league action: "I see Roger [Clemens] can come back and play. I can come back and play. They say I've done too much... I might come out with some crazy stuff, a press conference telling every club, 'Put me on the field with your best player and see if I come out of it.' If I can't do it, I'll call it quits at the end... I just want a spring training invite... I'm through, really. I'm probably through with it now. It's just one of those things. I thank the good Lord I played as long as I played and came out of it healthy. I took a lot of pounding."[55]

On May 18, 2007, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Oakland general manager Billy Beane was considering adding Henderson to the roster for one game in September, provided it did not "infringe on the integrity of the roster or of the season," so that Henderson could retire as an Oakland A's player.[56] A month later, Henderson appeared to reject the overture, saying, "One day? I don't want one day. I want to play again, man. I don't want nobody's spot... I just want to see if I deserve to be out there. If I don't, just get rid of me, release me. And if I belong, you don't have to pay me but the minimum — and I'll donate every penny of that to some charity. So, how's that hurtin' anybody?... Don't say goodbye for me... When I want that one day they want to give me so bad, I'll let you know."[57]

Contrary to speculation,[58][59][60] Henderson's refusal to officially retire was not delaying his eligibility for Hall of Fame induction; the five-year waiting period is based on major league service only. Henderson will become eligible for the 2009 induction vote, provided he does not return to major league play.[61] Henderson finally conceded his "official retirement" on July 13, 2007: "I haven't submitted retirement papers to MLB, but I think MLB already had their papers that I was retired." Characteristically, he added, "If it was a situation where we were going to win the World Series and I was the only player that they had left, I would put on the shoes."[62]

Coaching

The New York Mets hired Henderson as a special instructor in 2006, primarily to work with hitters and to teach basestealing. Henderson's impact was noticeable on José Reyes, the Mets' current leadoff hitter.[63] "I always want to be around the game," Henderson said in May 2007. "That's something that's in my blood. Helping them have success feels just as good."[55]

On July 13, 2007, the New York Mets promoted Henderson from special instructor to first base coach, replacing Howard Johnson, who became the hitting coach.[64] Henderson was not retained as a coach for 2008.

Illeism, malapropism and anecdotes

Henderson was known for being an illeist by referring to himself in the third person; teammates reported seeing Henderson standing naked in front of a mirror before a game, practicing his swing, and declaring, "Rickey's the best! Rickey's the best!"[65] During one off-season, Henderson called Padres general manager Kevin Towers and left the message "Kevin, this is Rickey. Calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball."[25] In 2003, he discussed his unusual phraseology, saying, "People are always saying, 'Rickey says Rickey.' But it's been blown way out of proportion. I say it when I don't do what I need to be doing. I use it to remind myself, like,`Rickey, what you doing, you stupid....' I'm just scolding myself."[51] Henderson was capable of the first person pronoun, such as the time he defended his position during a contract dispute: "All I'm asking for is what I want."[66]

There are many anecdotes about Henderson. A Padres teammate (variously reported as Steve Finley or Tony Gwynn) once offered him a front seat on the team bus, saying that Henderson had tenure. Henderson replied, "Ten years? What are you talking about? Rickey got 16, 17 years."[67] Jon Heyman of The Sporting News stated he is willing to believe an apocryphal story of Henderson being so proud of one of his paychecks that he framed it instead of cashing it, thus losing several months interest on a $1 million check.[68] In 2002, Henderson had an argument with El Duque and stated, "He needs to grow up a little bit. I ain't a kid. When I broke into the game, he was crawling on his hands and knees. Unless he's as old as I am. He probably is."[69]

One widely reported story, however, was a fabrication which began as a clubhouse joke by a visiting player.[67] While playing for Seattle in 2000, Henderson supposedly went up to John Olerud, and remarked on Olerud's practice of wearing a batting helmet out on the field, noting that he used to have a teammate in Toronto who did the same thing, to which Olerud was said to have replied, "That was me." The two men had been together the previous season, with the 1999 New York Mets, as well as with the 1993 World Champion Blue Jays. Several news outlets originally reported the story as fact.[70][71][72]

Legacy

On May 1, 1991, Henderson broke one of baseball's most famous records when he stole the 939th base of his career, one more than Lou Brock.[5] However, Henderson's achievement was somewhat overshadowed because Nolan Ryan, at age 44, set a record that same night by throwing a no-hitter against Toronto, the seventh of his career. Two years earlier, Ryan had achieved glory at Henderson's expense by making him his 5,000th strikeout victim. Henderson took an odd delight in the occurrence, saying, "If you haven't been struck out by Nolan Ryan, you're nobody."[73]

Henderson's speech (at right) after breaking Lou Brock's all-time steals record was similar to the standard victory or award speech. Henderson thanked God and his mother, as well as the people that helped him in baseball. The "I'm the greatest of all time" quote has been taken by many to support the notion that Henderson is selfish and arrogant,[74] although years later, Henderson revealed that he had gone over his planned remarks ahead of time with Brock, and the Cardinals Hall of Famer "had no problem with it. In fact, he helped me write what I was going to say that day."[75]

Henderson has mixed feelings about his comments:

As soon as I said it, it ruined everything. Everybody thought it was the worst thing you could ever say. Those words haunt me to this day, and will continue to haunt me. They overshadow what I've accomplished in this game.[51]

Asked if he believes the passage of time will improve his reputation, Henderson said:

If you talk about baseball, you can't eliminate me, because I'm all over baseball... It's the truth. Telling the truth isn't being cocky. What do you want me to say, that I didn't put up the numbers? That my teams didn't win a lot of games? People don't want me to say anything about what I've done. Then why don't you say it? Because if I don't say it and you don't say it, nobody says it.[51]

As it now stands, however, Henderson has 468 more stolen bases than Brock. For his career, Henderson has 50% more stolen bases (1,406) than the sport's all-time runner-up (938).[76] In 1993, Henderson stole his 1,066th base, surpassing the worldwide record established ten years earlier by Yutaka Fukumoto for the Hankyu Braves in the Japanese Baseball League.[77] In his prime, Henderson had a virtual monopoly on the stolen base title in the American League. Between 1980 and 1991, he led the league in steals every season except 1987,[78] when he missed part of the season due to a nagging hamstring injury,[79] allowing Seattle Mariners second baseman Harold Reynolds to win the title. He had one more league-leading season after that stretch, when his 66 steals in 1998 made him the oldest SB leader in baseball history. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Henderson also owns the record for times caught stealing (335). Due to incomplete recordkeeping for that statistic, though, it is unknown whether Henderson is the actual career leader.[80] However, Henderson's overall 81% success rate on the basepaths is among the highest percentages in history. (Tim Raines ranks first among players with at least 300 career attempts, with 84%.)[81] On July 29, 1989, Henderson stole 5 bases against the Seattle Mariners' left-handed Randy Johnson, his career high, and one shy of the single-game MLB record. Unusually, Henderson was 0–0 in the game (he had four walks). Henderson had eighteen 4-steal games during his career. In August 1983, in a 3-game series against the Brewers and a 2-game series versus the Yankees, Henderson had 13 stolen bases in 5 games.

Longtime scout Charlie Metro remembered the havoc caused by Henderson: '"I did a lot of study and I found that it's impossible to throw Rickey Henderson out. I started using stopwatches and everything. I found it was impossible to throw some other guys out also. They can go from first to second in 2.9 seconds; and no pitcher catcher combination in baseball could throw from here to there to tag second in 2.9 seconds, it was always 3, 3.1, 3.2. So actually, the runner that can make the continuous, regular move like Rickey's can't be thrown out, and he's proven it."[82] Baltimore Orioles third baseman Floyd Rayford described the confusion he felt during a particular game, when Henderson was leading off first base and signalling him with two fingers. Henderson quickly stole second base, then third, and Rayford understood the gesture.[83]

Henderson was a headfirst slider. In September 2008, Henderson discussed his basestealing technique at length with Sports Illustrated:

"I wanted to know how to dive into the base because I was getting strawberries on my knees and strawberries on my ass... I was thinking about head-first versus feet-first, and wondering which would save my body. With head-first I worried about pounding my shoulders and my hands, and with feet-first I would worry about my knees and my legs. I felt that running was more important to me, with my legs, so I started going head-first. I got my [low-to-the-ground] technique from airplanes...I was on a plane and asleep and the plane bounced and when we landed we bounced and it woke me up. Then the next flight I had the same pilot and the plane went down so smooth. So I asked the pilot why, and he said when you land a plane smooth, you get the plane elevated to the lowest position you can and then you smooth it in. Same with sliding... If you dive when you're running straight up then you have a long distance to get to the ground. But the closer you get to the ground the less time it will take... I was hitting the dirt so smooth, so fast, when I hit the dirt, there wasn't no hesitation. It was like a skid mark, like you throw a rock on the water and skid off it. So when I hit the ground, if you didn't have the tag down, I was by you. No matter if the ball beat me, I was by you. That was what made the close plays go my way, I think."[84]

San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman said, "I don't know how to put into words how fortunate I was to spend time around one of the icons of the game. I can't comprehend that yet. Years from now, though, I'll be able to say I played with Rickey Henderson, and I imagine it will be like saying I played with Babe Ruth."[85] Padres general manager Kevin Towers said, "I get e-mails daily from fans saying, 'Sign Rickey.' ...I get more calls and e-mails about him than anybody... We've had some special players come through San Diego. But there's an aura about him nobody else has."[86]

Manager Tony LaRussa said, "He rises to the occasion—the big moment—better than anybody I've ever seen."[87] Coach Rene Lachemann said, "If you're one run down, there's nobody you'd ever rather have up at the plate than Rickey."

Pitching coach Dave Duncan said of Henderson, "You have to be careful because he can knock one out. But you don't want to be too careful because he's got a small strike zone and you can't afford to walk him. And that's only half the problem. When he gets on base he's more trouble still." Sportswriter Tom Verducci wrote, "Baseball is designed to be an egalitarian sort of game in which one player among the 18 is not supposed to dominate... Yet in the past quarter century Henderson and Barry Bonds have come closest to dominating a baseball game the way Michael Jordan could a basketball game."[83]

In July 2007, New York Sun sportswriter Tim Marchman wrote about Henderson's accomplishments:

He stole all those bases and scored all those runs and played all those years not because of his body, but because of his brain. Rickey could tell from the faintest, most undetectable twitch of a pitcher's muscles whether he was going home or throwing over to first. He understood that conditioning isn't about strength, but about flexibility. And more than anyone else in the history of the game, he understood that baseball is entirely a game of discipline — the discipline to work endless 1–1 counts your way, the discipline to understand that your job is to get on base, and the discipline to understand that the season is more important than the game, and a career more important than the season. Maybe he'd get a bit more credit for all this if he were some boring drip like Cal Ripken Jr., blathering on endlessly about humility and apple pie and tradition and whatever else, but we're all better off with things the way they are... Everyone had their fun when he broke Lou Brock's stolen base record and proclaimed, 'I am the greatest', but he was, of course, just saying what was plainly true.[65]

Career milestones

As of 2008, Henderson ranks 4th all-time in games played (3,081), 10th in at-bats (10,961), 20th in hits (3,055), and first in runs scored (2,295) and stolen bases (1,406). His record for most walks all-time (2,190) has since been broken by Barry Bonds; Henderson is now second. He also holds the record for most home runs to lead off a game, with 81; Houston's Craig Biggio has the second-most ever, with 53. During the 2003 season, Henderson surpassed Babe Ruth for the career record in secondary bases (total bases compiled from extra base hits, walks, stolen bases, and hit by pitch). In 1993, he led off both games of a doubleheader with homers. At the time of his last major league game, Henderson was still in the all-time Top 100 home run hitters, with 297. Bill James wrote in 2000, "Without exaggerating one inch, you could find fifty Hall of Famers who, all taken together, don't own as many records, and as many important records, as Rickey Henderson."[88]

Henderson's eight steals during the 1989 ALCS broke Lou Brock's postseason record for a single series.[89][90] His record for the most postseason stolen bases was broken by Kenny Lofton's 34th career steal during the 2007 ALCS;[91] however, Lofton accomplished his total in 95 postseason games as compared to Henderson's 60.[92][24] Henderson is the only American League player to steal more than 100 bases in a single season.[93], and he is the all-time stolen base leader for two different franchises: the Oakland A's[94][24] and the New York Yankees.[35]

In 1999, before breaking the career records for runs scored and walks, Henderson was ranked number 51 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2005, The Sporting News updated their 100 Greatest Players list, and Henderson had inched up to number 50.[95] Asked to choose the best player in history, Henderson declined, saying, "There are guys who have done different things very well, but I don't know of anyone who mastered everything." Offered the chance to assess his own placement among the game's greats, he said, "I haven't mastered the homers or RBI. The little things, I probably mastered." Of his various records and achievements, Henderson values his career runs scored mark the most: "You have to score to win."[51]

Records

Career record Stat
Stolen bases 1,406[96]
Caught stealing 335(*)[97]
Runs scored 2,295[98]
Games led off with a home run 81[99]
Single season record Stat Year
Stolen bases 130 1982[96]
Caught stealing 42 1982[97]
Stolen bases in a single postseason series 8 1989 (ALCS)

Highlights and awards

Season highlights Times Year(s)
American League stolen bases leader 12 1980–86, 1988–91, 1998[24]
Major League stolen base leader 6 1980, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1998[100]
Major League runs scored leader 5 1981, 1985–86, 1989–90[101]
American League walks leader 4 1982–83, 1989, 1998[24]
Major League on-base percentage leader 1 1990[102]
American League hits leader 1 1981 (strike shortened)[24]
Award Year(s)
American League MVP 1990[103]
American League Championship Series MVP 1989[24]
Ten-time All-Star 1980, 1982–88, 1990–91[24]
Gold Glove for the outfield 1981[104]
Three-Time Silver Slugger for outfield 1981, 1985, 1990[105]
TSN Comeback Player of the Year Award 1999[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Career Leaders for Stolen Bases". Sports Reference, Inc (2000–2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  2. ↑ "Runs Scored Records by Baseball Almanac". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  3. ↑ "The Ballplayers - Rickey Henderson". BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  4. ↑ Nate Davis (2001-04-18), "Henderson tops list of leadoff hitters", USATODAY.com, http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/pinchhits/2001-04-18-pinchhits.htm, retrieved on 2007-10-03 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Rickey Henderson". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  6. ↑ Pinto, David. "Neyer On Sabermetrics and Race". Baseball Musings (via Internet Archive). Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Notes: Henderson's rockin' past". MLB.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  8. ↑ Henderson, Rickey; John Shea (June 1992). Off Base: Confessions of a Thief. HarperCollins. pp. 22–23. ISBN 0-0601-7975-9. 
  9. ↑ "Stat of the Day » 2008 » March". Baseball-Reference.com (March 21, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Henderson, Rickey; John Shea (June 1992). Off Base: Confessions of a Thief. HarperCollins. pp. 52-53. ISBN 0-0601-7975-9. 
  11. ↑ Frankel, Michael (2001). "The Baseball Report. V (1). (via Internet Archive)". The Baseball Report. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  12. ↑ "4th Round of the 1976 June Draft". Sports Reference, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Rickey Henderson Baseball Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
  14. ↑ "Rickey Henderson Memorabilia". SportsMemorabilia.com, LLC.. Retrieved on 2008-06-25.
  15. ↑ Jesus Alberto Rubio. "Rickey Henderson looking back". Terra. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  16. ↑ "Rickey Henley Henderson: Biography and Much More from Answers.com". Answers.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Silver, Nate; Carroll, Will (August 26, 2003). "Prospectus Q&A: Rickey Henderson". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  18. ↑ Office of Parks and Recreation (2006-07-13). "A Resolution Authorizing the Renaming of Lucky A's Baseball Field in Arroyo Viejo Park Located at 7701 Krause Avenue, Oakland to the Rickey Henderson Baseball Field". City of Oakland. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  19. ↑ Wiley, Ralph. "Rickey was a run walking". ESPN. Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Year-by-Year League Leaders & Records for Stolen Bases". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
  21. ↑ "Carlos Bernier - Pacific Coast League (PCL) 2004 Hall of Fame". Minor League News. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  22. ↑ Henderson, Rickey; John Shea (June 1992). Off Base: Confessions of a Thief. HarperCollins. pp. 1-10. ISBN 0-0601-7975-9. 
  23. ↑ "The Ballplayers - Lou Brock", Baseball Library. Retrieved on 2008-03-19. 
  24. ↑ 24.00 24.01 24.02 24.03 24.04 24.05 24.06 24.07 24.08 24.09 24.10 24.11 24.12 24.13 24.14 24.15 24.16 24.17 24.18 "Rickey Henderson Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Tom Verducci (June 23, 2003). "The greatest leadoff hitter of all time is beating the - 06.23.03 - SI Vault". Vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved on 2008-10-13.
  26. ↑ Ron Fimrite (May 10, 1982). "The defensive brilliance shared by A's outfielders - 05.10.82 - SI Vault". Vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved on 2008-10-09.
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  28. ↑ "1985 American League (AL) Statistics and Awards". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
  29. ↑ "Rickey Henderson". Baseball Library. Retrieved on March, 2008.
  30. ↑ "Eric Davis Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
  31. ↑ "1986 American League (AL) Statistics and Awards". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
  32. ↑ Henderson, Rickey; John Shea (June 1992). Off Base: Confessions of a Thief. HarperCollins. pp. 90–91, 164–165. ISBN 0-0601-7975-9. 
  33. ↑ "Mariners hope Rickey helps lead them back to the playoffs - Brief Article". The Sporting News. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
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  36. ↑ "1990 World Series by Baseball Almanac". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
  37. ↑ Rushin, Steve (1993-11-01). "Home Sweet Homer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
  38. ↑ "Rickey Henderson". The Baseball Page. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "Stolen base king Rickey Henderson knots up Ruth's walk mark". Daily Texan Online. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  40. ↑ "Kevin Towers - BR Bullpen". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  41. ↑ "1999 On Base Percentage Leaders: Top 25 in the National League". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
  42. ↑ "Retire 24". Faith and Fear in Flushing. Retrieved on 2008-12-02.
  43. ↑ "Card game: Henderson, Bonilla show up Valentine in Game 6". Sports Illustrated (1999-10-22). Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
  44. ↑ "2000 Stolen Bases Leaders: Top 25 in the American League". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
  45. ↑ "Henderson Breaks Cobb's Record in Style". New York Times (2001-10-05). Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
  46. ↑ "Henderson: It's an Even 3,000 Hits". New York Times (2001-10-08). Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
  47. ↑ Doyle, Al (2007-01-25). "A Credit to Cooperstown". Baseball Analysts. Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
  48. ↑ "Stolen Base Leaders 1947-2002". Course Outline - History 490: The History and Literature of Baseball. San Francisco State University. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  49. ↑ "A Year-by-Year League Leaders & Records for Oldest Player", Baseball-Reference.com (2007-10-28). Retrieved on 2007-11-27. 
  50. ↑ Diamos, Jason. "BASEBALL; Mets and Henderson Are Closing In On Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 51.4 Manoloff, Dennis (February 2003). "One on one with Rickey Henderson: future Hall of Famer - Interview". Baseball Digest via FindArticles 408: 504. doi:10.1038/35046237. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_2_62/ai_95915327/pg_1. Retrieved on 2007-06-24. 
  52. ↑ "Rickey's retirement plans: will he or won't he?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  53. ↑ "San Diego Surf Sawgs". Golden Baseball League. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  54. ↑ Erhardt, John (August 14, 2006). "The Week In Quotes: August 7-13". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 McCauley, Janie (May 8, 2007). "Henderson would like one more chance to make a big league team". Associated Press via Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  56. ↑ Slusser, Susan (May 18, 2007). "A Rickey Reunion?", San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-06-24. 
  57. ↑ Associated Press (2007-01-01). "Rickey not ready for token farewell". The Times Herald Record. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  58. ↑ "Henderson signs contract to play in San Diego - MLB". ESPN. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  59. ↑ Slusser, Susan. "A Rickey Reunion?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  60. ↑ Kenney, Kirk. "Rickey to play for Surf Dawgs". The San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  61. ↑ "The Class of 2009: Who Will Join Rickey?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  62. ↑ Associated Press. "Mets name Henderson new first-base coach; HoJo replaces Down as hitting coach". The Times Herald Record. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  63. ↑ "Untitled", Sports Illustrated, Time Inc. (May 7, 2007), pp. 57. 
  64. ↑ "Mets to name Johnson hitting coach". Yahoo Sports (2007-07-13). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 Marchman, Tim (July 17, 2007). "Rickey Henderson A Steal for the Mets". The New York Sun 408: 1. doi:10.1038/35046237. http://www.nysun.com/article/58365. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  66. ↑ Tom Verducci (June 23, 2003). "The greatest leadoff hitter of all time is beating the - 06.23.03 - SI Vault". Vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved on 2008-10-13.
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 St. John, Allen (2001-10-09). "Rickey Henderson", Salon.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-17. 
  68. ↑ Heyman, Jon (April 17, 2000). "Henderson's antics tarnish his brilliant career". The Sporting News via FindArticles 408: 1. doi:10.1038/35046237. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_16_224/ai_61933906. Retrieved on 2007-06-24. 
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