Rickey Henderson on Breaking Stolen Base Record

Rickey Henderson was left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed the "Man of Steal", he is widely regarded as baseball's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. He holds the major league records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in walks. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance.

Henderson holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times. His 1,406 career steals is 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock. Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland Athletics and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988 to 2011. He was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.

Henderson was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1990, and he was the lead-off hitter for two World Series champions: the 1989 Oakland A's and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. A 12-time stolen base champion, Henderson led the league in runs five times. His 25-year career elevated Henderson to the top ten in several other categories, including career at-bats, games, and outfield putouts and total chances. His high on-base percentage, power hitting, and stolen base and run totals made him one of the most dynamic players of his era. He was further known for his unquenchable passion for playing baseball and a buoyant, eccentric, and quotable personality that both perplexed and entertained fans. Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers."

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Here's another radio baseball card. NewYork Yankees outfielder Ricky Henderson says that his
greatest thrill was breaking the stolen baserecord. He'll remember that moment right after
this. In nineteen eighty two,eight years after Lou Brox at the stolen

(00:23):
base record, Ricky Henderson changed therecord books. His most memorable theft that
season was number one hundred nineteen.Our standing mona was probably me still in
the one nineteen booking all lue BuckAll time. I was in Milwaukee.
I had got walked in the secondin on the fourth pitcher, and there

(00:46):
was two count on the batter,and the moment I saw a key thing
that he was doing, the throwthe ball to the play. This moment
came and I took off running andslaid in that second basement and part said
said, the crowd was roaring,the crowd was giving started elevation. But

(01:07):
I was falling shocked that you know, this moment had came to rue.
I was seeing like blanked out allthe things that really I remember when I
did stole the base was said,thank you, Bud. Ricky Henderson finished
nineteen eighty two, shedding two majorleague records stealing one hundred and thirty basses
and getting caught forty two times tryingto steal with radio baseball cards. I'm

(01:36):
done, Drysdale