Rickey Henderson was the best leadoff hitter in the history of the game and also one of the most exciting. Here are seven things Rickey did that will likely never be done again.
1:
From 1970 through 1989, Rickey stole 283 more bases than anyone in baseball. He didn’t make his debut until 1979.
Despite giving the rest of baseball more than an eight-year head start, Rickey stole more bases than anyone for the period of 1970 through 1989.
2:
Rickey Henderson stole 838 bases in the ’80s, which is more than the leader for the ’30s, ’40 and ’50 combined. By more than 100 SBs.
3:
Rickey’s 838 stolen bases in the ’80s alone would place him 4th in the all-time stolen base leaderboard. He played for another 14 seasons.
4:
Rickey stole 66 bases in his age-39 season.
At a time when many players stop running, Rickey kept going, swiping 66 bags in 1998 and getting thrown out only 13 times.
5:
After turning 40, Rickey stole 109 more bases.
At a time when many players have retired, Rickey kept going. He stole 109 bases after turning 40. Davey Lopes is 2nd on the list with 74.
6:
Rickey stole 33 bases in July of 1983. He was thrown out once. Once. Rick Dempsey got him on July 11th, 1983.
7:
Rickey stole four or more bases in a game 19 different times.
From the moment he made his debut in 1979 until his last at-bat in 2003, Rickey was fun to watch.
