Henderson, Rickey Henley

Henderson, Rickey Henley, 1958–, American baseball player, b. Chicago. An outfielder with the Oakland Athletics (1979–84, 1989–93, 1994–95, 1998), New York Yankees (1985–89), Toronto Blue Jays (1993), San Diego Padres (1996–97, 2001), Anaheim Angels (1997), New York Mets (1999–2000), Seattle Mariners (2000), Boston Red Sox (2002), and Los Angeles Dodgers (2003), he was the most prolific base stealer in major-league history, with 1,406 stolen bases. Capable both of breaking a game open with a home run and of disrupting opponents' defenses with his baserunning, he was almost unique among leadoff hitters, perhaps the greatest in baseball history. In 1982 he stole 130 bases, a single-season record, and in 1991 he stole his 939th base, breaking Lou Brock's career record. In 2001 he stroked his 3,000th hit and broke Ty Cobb's career record for runs scored and Babe Ruth's for walks, ultimately scoring 2,295 runs and receiving 2,190 walks.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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