Rickey Henderson, Hall of Famer and MLB's all-time leader in stolen bases and runs, dies at 65

There was a certain mythic quality to Rickey Henderson. He was born in the backseat of a car on the way to the hospital on Christmas Day. When he crouched low at the plate, he appeared ready to pounce. And he often was quoted speaking of himself in the third person. Legend has it that after Henderson struck out while playing for the Mariners at age 41, the on-deck batter heard him mutter, “Don’t worry, Rickey, you’re still the best.”

That was the sort of player — the sort of person — he was. Henderson, 65, died Friday night,  according a statement released by Henderson's family. The myth of the Man of Steal, the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, lives on, though.

"A legend on and off the field, Rickey was a devoted son, dad, friend, grandfather, brother, uncle, and a truly humble soul," the family's statement read. "Rickey lived his life with integrity, and his love for baseball was paramount. Now Rickey is at peace with the Lord, cherishing the extraordinary moments and achievements he leaves behind."

There seemingly are  hundreds of tales about the leftfielder, some of which would strain credulity if they were being told about anyone else. But the first-ballot Hall of Famer had a way of making anything seem possible. Especially on the basepaths.

Oh, what a marvel he was on the basepaths.

When Henderson was on base, he twitched and danced, his hands dangling in front of him. His eyes would narrow. Sometimes he’d stick his tongue out of the corner of his mouth. He felt unstoppable, nearly superhuman: One minute, the pitcher was toeing the rubber, and the next, Henderson seemingly would stop time. You blinked and he’d be on second, uniform smeared with dirt, and already eying third base. It was speed, yes, but he often said speed wasn’t enough. Henderson had an instinct — the sort of sixth sense that wound through his brain, muscle and sinew in such a way that he still stole 36 bases at the age of 41.

In 60 postseason games, he slashed .284/.389/.441 with 33 stolen bases, and he was the 1989 ALCS MVP — a series in which he hit .400 with seven walks and eight stolen bases. He was a career .279/.401/.419 hitter — that on-base percentage courtesy of the minuscule strike zone afforded by his modest 5-10 frame and his crouched batting stance. His 111.1 bWAR is 19th in MLB history.

On Friday, news of his death began circulating on social media. By Saturday, the reports were confirmed. Through the uncertainty and sadness in those first hours, there seemed to be one prevailing thought: It can’t be true. In a world in which unsubstantiated claims get disseminated like snow flurries in the wind, there was a near-universal psychological disconnect when it came to Henderson’s death.

How could a man who seemed so dynamic, and so unabashedly human in a singular, irreplaceable way, be gone?

And even if you don’t care for baseball, that says as much about Henderson as anything else.

He was a 10-time All Star, a two-time World Series champion, the 1990 American League MVP, the 12-time American League stolen base leader. He had 3,055 hits and holds three MLB records: career stolen bases (1406), single-season stolen bases (130) and runs scored (2295). Many believe Henderson’s stolen base record to be unbreakable; Lou Brock is second with 938.

Former Athletics teammate Mitchell Page said: “It wasn’t until I saw Rickey that I understood what baseball was about. Rickey Henderson is a run, man. That’s it. When you see Rickey Henderson, I don’t care when, the score’s already 1-0. If he’s with you, that’s great. If he’s not, you won’t like it.”

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement, "For multiple generations of baseball fans, Rickey Henderson was the gold standard of base-stealing and leadoff hitting . . .   Rickey epitomized speed, power and entertainment in setting the tone at the top of the lineup." When we considered new rules for the game in recent years, we had the era of Rickey Henderson in mind."

Henderson played for nine teams in 25 years, most of it in three stints with the A’s, but he also spent more than four seasons with the Yankees during his prime and nearly two seasons with the Mets near the end of his career.

The Yankees said in a statement: “Rickey Henderson was an all-time great player who commanded our attention like few players before or since, transcending our traditional understanding of how elite and thrilling a single player could be in the batter’s box and on the basepaths. When he stepped across the white lines, he was magnetic. Opponents, teammates and fans simply couldn’t take their eyes off him. Though he spent just four and a half seasons in pinstripes, Rickey left an indelible mark on our record book, and he entertained us not only with his baseball talent but with a no-nonsense personality and knack for showmanship that were ahead of its time. We will deeply miss Rickey for everything he brought to the game, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Pamela, daughters Angela, Adrianna, and Alexis, and all his family and friends.”

“I cannot believe I’ve lost one of my favorite teammates and great friend Rickey Henderson,” Hall of Famer Dave Winfield posted on Instagram. “Rest in peace.”

Don Mattingly, who combined with Henderson and Winfield to give the Yankees a dangerous heart of the order, said: “Rickey was simply the best player I ever played with. He could change the outcome of a game in so many ways. It puts a smile on my face just thinking about him. I will miss my friend.”

Buck Showalter, who called Henderson ''the best leadoff hitter of all time,'' also said: “He was in my first big league camp, and my first time throwing to big league hitters was to his batting group. He had a strike zone the size of a thimble, and I had never seen anyone run the way he did, with powerful strides that were fluid and violent at the same time. As a young coach working with the outfielders, Rickey laughed easily and made me feel comfortable. I can’t believe he’s gone. He was one of a kind.”

And Willie Randolph: ''Pound for pound, Rickey Henderson was the greatest player I ever played with . . . He was a special man.''

Which story do you want to hear about Henderson?

How about the time he broke Brock’s all-time stolen base record in May 1991? His response to the feat: “Lou Brock was a great base-stealer, but today, I am the greatest!”

The comments were taken as self-aggrandizing, but afterward, Henderson revealed that he had conferred with Brock about the speech and regretted how it had come off. He got his do-over, though, alluding to those words when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“I would like to say my favorite hero was Muhammad Ali,” he said then. “He said at one time, quote, 'I am the greatest,' end quote. That is something I always wanted to be. And now that the [Baseball Writers' Association of America] has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time. And at this moment, I am . . . ”

He paused.

“ . . . very, very humble. Thank you.”

There’s more, of course. That was the one thing about Henderson — singles became doubles and stories became tales.

Then there was that time in 1982, when the A’s had a curious accounting issue: an extra $1 million. An accountant called Henderson, who had been awarded a $1 million bonus, marking his first million-dollar salary. “I’m staring at it right now,” Henderson responded. He had framed it instead of cashing it.

In Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS, Henderson apparently was miffed at being taken out of the game, so he and Bobby Bonilla decided to play cards in the Mets' clubhouse as it went into extra innings. “Rickey says to me, ‘Bo, get the deck of cards, let me just relax my mind,’ '' Bonilla told WFAN in 2017. “And the reason we did that, we actually had played cards all year long. This was more to relax Rickey. We had the game on, we’re playing cards.”

The A’s picked Henderson in the fourth round of the 1976 draft and he made his debut three years later at the age of 20, immediately becoming a fan favorite. He came in second in MVP voting in his second full season and spent the first six years of his career there before getting traded to the Yankees in December 1984. He continued to bounce around the majors, with his first big payday coming with the A’s in 1989, when he signed for four years and $12 million.

At age 39, with the A’s, he stole a major league-leading 66 bases with an American League-leading 118 runs. He retired in 2003, owner of a legacy defined by dominance and swagger. When his name showed up on the Hall of Fame ballot, he was voted in by more than 94% of the electorate.

“When you think of me, I would like you to remember that kid from the inner city that played the game with all his heart and never took the game for granted,” he said during his induction speech. “Thanks everyone here for making my dream come true.”

No, thank you. And don’t worry, Rickey. You’re still the best.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.