Former Mets Outfielder, Baseball Legend Ricky Henderson Passes Away at 65

10-time All-Star and former New York Met Ricky Henderson passed away on Friday at the age of 65.

Feb 21, 2019; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics Hall of famer Ricky Henderson talks with fans during the spring training game against the Seattle Mariners at HoHoKam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

10-time All-Star and former New York Mets outfielder Ricky Henderson passed away at the age of 65 on Friday at his home in Oakland, California just five days shy of his 66th birthday after a long battle with pneumonia.

Henderson was originally drafted out of high school as a fourth-round pick by the Oakland Athletics in 1976. His career in MLB spanned 25 seasons with nine different teams. He spent the majority of his career in Oakland for 14 years across multiple stints.

Henderson made his big league debut for the A's on June 24, 1979, getting two hits in four at-bats, along with a stolen base. He finished his rookie season batting .279 with 33 stolen bases in 89 games. And in his first full season in MLB in 1980, Henderson quickly made a name for himself as he became the third modern-era player to steal 100 bases in a season.

The speedy outfielder was a generational talent. Across six years in the major leagues, Henderson led the league in stolen bases with three of those years seeing him swipe over 100 stolen bases.

Perhaps his best season on the bases came in 1982 when Henderson stole 130 bases to break modern baseball’s single-season mark which nobody has since accomplished.

Less than ten years later during the 1991 season, Henderson in his 13th season, broke Lou Bock’s career record for steals to become baseball’s all-time record holder when he stole the 939th base of his career.

Henderson also took his talents to New York where he signed as a free agent with the Mets before the 1999 season when he hit .315 with 37 stolen bases and was voted the 1999 National League comeback Player of the Year.

His tenure with the Mets ended on a sour note as before the 2000 season, Henderson sought a raise on his $1.9 million salary which the team refused and he also complained about the team traveling to Tokyo for their season opener against the Chicago Cubs.

Henderson batted just .219 with no home runs and two RBIs before the Mets put him on waivers and eventually released him in May.

Despite his rocky relationship with the Mets, Mike Piazza, who played with Henderson in Queens wrote a tribute to his former teammate on X.

Rickey Henderson was a dream to hit behind as teammate and a nightmare for a catcher as an opponent. He was one of the most generous, hysterical and gracious human beings..He will be sorely missed..Prayers for his soul and family..#MLB #HOF pic.twitter.com/nL7tJeDIrE

— Mike Piazza (@mikepiazza31) December 21, 2024

Henderson retired following the 2003 season and throughout 25 seasons in the major leagues, he had 3,055 hits, 297 home runs, a .820 OPS. and 1,406 stolen bases, a record that still stands today. Henderson was also named the 1990 American League MVP and won two World Series titles as a player.

He was inducted as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2009.