in full Rickey Henley Henderson
born Dec. 25, 1958, Chicago, Ill., U.S.
U.S. baseball player.
Henderson made his major league debut in 1979 with the Oakland Athletics. The following year he became one of only three players to steal 100 bases. It was the first of seven consecutive seasons in which Henderson led the American League in stolen bases, and his 130 in 1982 set a major league record. Considered one of the game's greatest leadoff hitters, he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1990. The following year he stole the 939th base of his career to top Lou Brock's mark. With the San Diego Padres in 2001, he broke Babe Ruth 's lifetime record for walks (2,062) and Ty Cobb 's career record for runs (2,245). Henderson helped the Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays win World Series in 1989 and 1993, respectively.