Baseball lost a true legend today. Rickey Henderson, the greatest leadoff hitter who ever played the game, has died at 65.
He wasn’t just unique – he was one of a kind in a way that baseball will never see again.
The numbers are staggering. Henderson stole more bases than anyone in history. He scored more runs than anyone ever. And incredibly, he was still leading the league in stolen bases at age 39.
But it wasn’t just what he did – it was how he did it.
Before bat flips and home run celebrations became common, Rickey had his own style. He’d strut around the bases tugging at his jersey, oozing confidence with every step. When he broke the all-time runs record, he slid into home plate just for fun.
“Today, I am the greatest of all time,” he famously declared while standing next to Lou Brock after breaking his stolen base record. That was pure Rickey.
The stories about him are legendary. Once, when Harold Reynolds led the American League with 60 stolen bases, Rickey called him up. No hello, no small talk. Just: “60 bases? Man, Rickey got 60 by the All-Star break.” Then he hung up.
He’d mess with first basemen too. “Tell him he don’t gotta throw over here today. Rickey tired,” he’d say after a pitcher tried picking him off. Then he’d steal second base anyway.
His batting stance was unlike anything else – crouched so low that pitchers struggled to throw strikes. Despite everyone trying desperately to keep him off base, only Barry Bonds drew more walks in baseball history.
What made Henderson special wasn’t just his speed or power (though he had plenty of both). He was baseball’s ultimate tone-setter. When he led off a game with a home run – which he did more than anyone ever – it sent a message: today wasn’t going to be fun for the other team.
He won an MVP award. He won two World Series rings. He’s in the top 20 all-time in WAR (wins above replacement).
But numbers can’t capture what made Rickey Rickey. He played with a joy and swagger that changed how baseball could be played. He talked in the third person not because he was arrogant, but because he knew it made people laugh.
The baseball world is a little less colorful today. We lost more than just a Hall of Famer – we lost someone who was truly one-of-a-kind.
There will never be another Rickey Henderson. And that’s exactly how it should be.
