Major League Baseball

‘Man of Steal’: Rickey Henderson's record-setting career by the numbers

Published Dec. 21, 2024 5:21 p.m. ET

Baseball lost an all-time great on Saturday.

Rickey Henderson, who is widely regarded as the best leadoff hitter of all time, passed away at the age of 65. The "Man of Steal" was undoubtedly the most dynamic baserunner in MLB history, would routinely have a major impact on the game with his ability to get on base and advance on the basepaths on his own.

In a career that spanned 25 seasons and nine teams, there was only one Rickey Henderson. The longtime Oakland Athletic tallied 10 All-Star appearances, three Silver Slugger awards, two World Series titles, an MVP, a Gold Glove and, eventually, a ticket to Cooperstown.

So, just how dominant was Henderson? Here are some of the best numbers from his Hall of Fame career:

0: In one of the most unbelievable box score performances in MLB history, Henderson posted five steals and four runs, all while not registering a single at-bat and finishing 0-0. (He walked in all four plate appearances).
1: One of one, Henderson is the only player in MLB history to collect 3,000 hits and have 2,000 walks in his career.
2: One of only two players in the Modern Era to steal 100 or more bases in three different seasons, joining Vince Coleman.
5: He is one of just five players to have scored 100 or more runs in more than 12 MLB seasons, joining Hank Aaron (15), Álex Rodríguez (13), Derek Jeter (13) and Lou Gehrig (13).
10: Nicknamed the "Man of Steal" he lived up to the billing. He is the only player in MLB history to have 10 or more games in a season with three steals or more. Stealing three or more bases in 12 games in 1983 and 10 games in 1988.
12: A dynamo, Henderson led the American League in steals 12 different times, an MLB-record
13: Henderson compiled 13 different seasons in his career with 75 or more runs and 50 or more stolen bases, more than any other play in MLB history.
81: Known as the best leadoff hitter in MLB history, Rickey delivered the boom, connecting on 81 leadoff homers in his career, most in the game's history.
755: As dynamic as any player ever to take the field, Henderson routinely created offense for his teams. His 755 games with at least one run scored AND one stolen base are by far the most in MLB history, 235 more than Ty Cobb (520) who has the second-most games.
1,337: From 1980-2000, Rickey Henderson swiped 1,337 bags, more than 500 more than any other player during that span. It was also more than the Red Sox had as a team in those 20 years (1,276).
1,406: Henderson stole a preposterous 1,406 stolen bases in his career, almost 500 more than any other player in MLB history. No other player has even reached 950 career steals in their careers. To put this in perspective, the top four active leaders in stolen bases who played last year (Starling Marte (354), Jose Altuve (315), Trea Turner (279) and José Ramírez (243) have just 1,191 stolen bases combined in their careers, more than 200 fewer than Henderson.
2,129: An underplayed aspect of his career, Henderson was a maestro in the batter's box, working walks better than anyone in the game's history. Nobody in MLB history has drawn more unintentional walks, including the walks king Barry Bonds, than Henderson (2,129).
2,295: One of the most productive players, Rickey still to this day has the MLB record with 2,295 runs scored in his career. Again to put that in perspective, that is more than Mookie Betts (1,071) and Jose Altuve (1,156) have combined.