Hall of Fame outfielder Rickey Henderson was nicknamed the ‘Man of Steal’ for a reason.
Henderson, who died Friday at age 65, was a two-time World Series champion, 10-time All-Star and holds the MLB record for all-time stolen bases, racking up 1,406 swipes across his 25-year career from 1979-2003.
He’s the only player in MLB history to surpass 1,000 stolen bases and has 468 more than the previous record holder, Hall of Famer Lou Brock (938).
Henderson surpassed Brock’s career steals record on May 1, 1991 while playing for the Oakland Athletics, where he played four separate times throughout his career. In the Athletics’ 7-4 win over the New York Yankees, Henderson took off for third base in the fourth inning and successfully swiped the 939th base of his career. Henderson instantly ripped the base out of the ground in celebration as the crowd in Oakland applauded.
Rickey Henderson: ‘Greatest of all time’
After Henderson successfully swiped the 939th base of his career to become MLB’s all-time leader — a record that stands to this day — the matchup between the Athletics and Yankees was briefly paused to commemorate the achievement. Henderson addressed the crowd, which included Brock, the previous stolen bases leader.
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‘Lou Brock was the symbol of base stealing, but today I’m the greatest of all time,’ Henderson said in his speech.
Henderson also holds the record for most career runs scored (2,295) and is second in all-time walks (2,190), only trailing Barry Bonds (2,558).
Watch his speech below:
MLB all-time career stolen base leaders
Here are the top 10 players with the most career steals in MLB history:
Rickey Henderson* (1,406)
Lou Brock* (938)
Billy Hamilton* (914)
Ty Cobb* (897)
Tim Raines* (808)
Vince Coleman (758)
Arlie Latham (742)
Eddie Collins* (741)
Max Carey* (738)
Honus Wagner* (723)
* An asterisk denotes players who were elected to the Hall of Fame
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