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Rickey Henderson. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Five greatest moments for Rickey Henderson

By David Hill | Last updated Dec 21, 2024 4:14 PM ET

According to reports, baseball legend Rickey Henderson died on Friday. He was 65-years-old.

Widely considered the greatest leadoff hitter in MLB history, Henderson revolutionized the leadoff spot. He was not just a stolen-base threat; Henderson had impressive power, as his 81 career leadoff homers are the major-league record.

Henderson was polarizing at times, but he backed up his talk and swagger on the diamond, where he carved his name into the record books.

Henderson was a 10-time All-Star and the 1990 AL MVP. He led the league in steals 12 times, setting a modern-day record with 130 steals in 1982. Henderson posted a career .279/.401/.419 batting line in his 13,346 plate appearances, with 297 homers and 510 doubles amongst his 3,055 hits. He is the all-time leader in runs scored (2,295) and steals (1,406). Henderson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009, earning 94.8% of the vote.

Rickey Henderson's 25 years in the majors were filled with highlights. Here are the five greatest moments in his career:

Henderson sets all-time runs record

The 2001 season was a special one for Henderson as he reached several milestones. The first came on Oct. 4, when he took Dodgers' pitcher Luke Prokopec deep in the bottom of the third inning, barely clearing the wall for a home run. That run was the 2,246th of Henderson's career, surpassing legendary outfielder Ty Cobb for the all-time lead.

Henderson sets leadoff home-run record

On April 28, 1989, Henderson added another accomplishment to his resume as the greatest leadoff hitter in MLB history. He sent Shawn Hillegas' 2-1 offering deep to left for his 36th career leadoff home run, surpassing Bobby Bonds as the all-time leader. Henderson would go on to hit 81 leadoff homers in his career, shattering the record.

Henderson records 3,000th career hit

Oct. 7, 2001 was already set to be a special day in San Diego. Franchise legend Tony Gwynn was playing in his final game, as he would retire after the season. Henderson hit a soft fly ball for a double to lead off the bottom of the first, recording his 3,000th career hit. He left the game after scoring the Padres' first run so as to give Gwynn the spotlight. Henderson did return to the diamond for one more moment, heading out as the third base coach for Gwynn's final at bat.

Henderson sets modern-day single-season stolen-base record

Henderson first took aim at Cardinals legendary speedster Lou Brock in 1982. After stealing only 56 bases during the strike-interrupted 1981 season, Henderson was a force on the basepaths. He swiped his 100th base of the season on Aug. 2 and showed no signs of slowing down. His inevitable sprint into the record books came on Aug. 26 when he stole second base despite a pickoff attempt from pitcher Mike Caldwell. Henderson would finish the season with 130 steals, trailing only Hugh Nicol, who stole 138 bases in 1887, for the all-time mark.

Rickey Henderson sets all-time stolen-base record

Henderson kept collecting steals at an impressive rate, leading the league in steals in all but one season from 1980 through 1990. He entered the 1991 campaign with 936 steals, making it inevitable that he would pass Brock on the all time list. He missed time early in the season due to a strained calf muscle, delaying his ascension. That moment came on May 1 against his former team, the Yankees. He stole third, ripping the base out of the ground and holding above his head as he celebrated his place in history.

David Hill

Based in the mountains of Vermont, Dave has over a decade of experience writing about all things baseball. Just don't ask his thoughts on the universal DH.

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