Rickey Henderson, Baseball’s All-Time Stolen Base Leader, Dies at Age 65

Lou Brock was a great base stealer, but today I am the greatest of all time.”

Henderson surpassed Brock's career record when he stole his 939th base on May 1, 1991, for Oakland, and famously pulled third base out of the ground and showed it off to the adoring crowd before giving a speech that he capped by saying

Rickey Hendersonbaseball player

She didn’t want her baby to get hurt,

Henderson told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2019.

Billy Beaneexecutive

He’s the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, and I’m not sure there’s a close second,

former A's executive Billy Beane said of Henderson

If you haven’t been struck out by Nolan Ryan, you’re nobody.”

Henderson already had been Ryan’s 5,000th career strikeout victim, which led him to say

Sandy Aldersongeneral manager

I traded Rickey Henderson twice and brought him back more times than that,

former A's general manager Sandy Alderson said

Rob ManfredmLB commissioner

For multiple generations of baseball fans, Rickey Henderson was the gold standard of base stealing and leadoff hitting,

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said

We are shocked and heartbroken by his passing,

the A's said in a statement

For those who knew him personally, Rickey was much more than a franchise icon and a Baseball Hall of Famer,

the A's said

I still cannot believe I’ve lost one of my favorite teammates and great friend Rickey Henderson. Rest in peace,

Winfield posted

George Steinbrennertrump resembles

There was only one Rickey Henderson in baseball,

George Steinbrenner, the former Yankees owner, once said, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Rickey Hendersonbaseball player

Lou Brock was the symbol of great base stealing,

Henderson said, holding a microphone

Mike Piazzahall of Fame catcher

Rickey Henderson was a dream to hit behind and a nightmare for catchers,

Mets teammate Mike Piazza said

Rickey Hendersonbaseball player

My favorite hero was Muhammad Ali,

Henderson said during his induction speech in Cooperstown, New York

If my uniform doesn’t get dirty, I haven’t done anything in the baseball game,

he once said

Jerry Hairston Jr.baseball player

Waking up & hearing of the passing of a boyhood hero of mine and so many kids of our generation,

wrote Jerry Hairston Jr

Imagine being so magnetic that a league has spent decades creating rules to try & get everyone to play like you,

wrote Mike Ferrin of MLB Network on SiriusXM

Jerry Blevinspitcher

Rickey Henderson was an incredible man,

former A's pitcher Jerry Blevins wrote on his Twitter/X account

It was feet-first and he was always a head-first guy; that caught us more off-guard than anything,

said Ben Davis, a catcher on that team

Bill Jamesstatistician

Without exaggerating one inch, you could find 50 Hall of Famers who, all taken together, don’t own as many records, and as many important records, as Rickey Henderson,

the baseball statistician and historian Bill James once wrote

Vince Coleman (baseball)american baseball player

He knows I’ll be chasing his record, just like I’m chasing all the other records,

Coleman told the (Bridgewater, NJ) Courier-News