Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons

Rickey Henderson, baseball’s greatest leadoff hitter and the all-time stolen base king, died Friday in Oakland at the age of 65 after battling pneumonia, multiple sources confirmed on Saturday.

Henderson’s career was a testament to speed, power and charisma.

Over 24 seasons, he racked up a record-breaking 1,406 stolen bases, 2,295 runs scored, and 81 leadoff home runs. A 10-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, and 1990 American League MVP, Henderson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2009.

“My favorite hero was Muhammad Ali,” Henderson said during his induction speech in Cooperstown, New York. “He said one time, quote, I am the greatest, end of quote. That was something I always wanted to be, and now that the [Baseball Writers’ Association of America] has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time, and at this moment, I am very, very humbled.”

The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in California also inducted Henderson in 2020. READ MORE…

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