MLB legend Rickey Henderson dies at 65

Rickey Henderson, the best leadoff hitter in baseball, passed away on Sunday. Henderson died at the age of 65 while in hospital due to symptoms of pneumonia in Oakland, California, The Associated Press and other U.S. media reported on Sunday.

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1958, Henderson made his MLB debut in 1979, playing for the Oakland Athletics. Over his 25-season career with nine different teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003, right before retirement, he recorded a batting average of 0.279 (3,055 hits in 10,961 at-bats), 297 home runs, and 1,115 RBIs.

This legendary man’s career comes down to steals, nicknaming him the Man of Steal. As of now, he holds the MLB record in stolen bases with 1,406, having 468 more stolen bases than Lou Brock (1939–2020), who is in all-time second place with 938. New York Mets player Starling Marte has the most stolen bases among all active players with 354.

Henderson stole as many as 130 bases, the most in a single season in the history of MLB, making him the only player to record 100 or more bases in a season. He reached the 100-steal threshold three times, with his records in 1980 (100) and 1983 (108). He acquired the stolen base title as many as 12 times in his career, almost close to half his playing time. Even at the age of 40 in 1998, he topped the category with 66 steals.

The sudden passing of this legendary player brought the baseball community into deep grief. Robert D. Manfred, the 10th commissioner of baseball, said in a statement of condolence that Henderson was a great example of what stolen bases and leadoff hitting are supposed to be like for baseball players, adding that recent league changes were made, such as the increase in base size with the era of Henderson in mind.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com