Rickey Henderson’s legendary career is certainly one worth celebrating.
The star outfielder and speedster played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays.
But beyond his speed, he had some power in his bat, which was on full display on April 28, 1989 when he broke the all-time record for most leadoff home runs ever hit.
To cap off Black History Month, MLB Network took a trip down memory lane, recalling the day Henderson set the record and posting a video of the highlight on Twitter.
A look back at when Rickey Henderson set the all-time leadoff HR record on April 28, 1989.#BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/ozTzjXkYwG
—MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 28, 2023
Henderson was with the Yankees when he broke the record for most leadoff home runs ever hit.
It was his 36th career leadoff home run, which put him ahead of Bobby Bonds.
The Yankees weren’t a power-oriented team at the time, but Henderson certainly gave them a jolt whenever they needed it.
For his career, Henderson hit for a .279 average and hit a total of 297 home runs.
He also had a career WAR of 111.1, amassed a total of 3,055 hits, stole 1,406 bases, had an on-base percentage of .401, and a slugging percentage of .419.
He won an MVP Award, a Gold Glove, an ALCS MVP Award, two World Series titles, and three Silver Slugger Awards.
On top of that, Henderson was selected to 10 All-Star teams.
Henderson’s career was certainly legendary in many ways.
He could steal bases, but he was also a catalyst at the top of every lineup he was a part of.
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