Rickey Henderson was born on December 25, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois, in the back seat of an Oldsmobile on the way to the hospital. Henderson later joked, “I was already fast. I couldn’t wait.” He died today at the age of 65.
Henderson was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fourth round of the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. He played with nine teams over a prolific 25-year career, spending the bulk of it with the A’s, with whom he played 14 seasons over multiple stints.
Henderson, a 10-time All-Star and 1990 American League MVP, was the game’s greatest base stealer, racking up 1,406 stolen bags in his career, an MLB record that still stands. He is also MLB’s leader in runs scored with 2,295.
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