This Day In History: 25th Anniversary Of Rickey Henderson's 1,000th Steal
by Cutter Hicks, Sports 1140 KHTK
Today marks the 25th anniversary of Rickey Henderson's 1,000th stolen base during the Oakland Athletics' trip to Detroit in a three-game series on May 1, 1992.
In the 7-6 victory, Henderson led the game off with a double to left field. During the next at-bat the "Man of Steal" stole third base, digging it out of the ground afterward in a sea of cheers.
Exactly one year prior to Henderson's iconic day, he surpassed Lou Brock's Major League record of 938 stolen bases with his 939th against the New York Yankees, stealing third base in a similar fashion. The 10-time all-star currently holds MLB's stolen bases record with 1,406 and is the only American League player to steal 100 bases in a season. He also holds the record for most career runs at 2,295.
Henderson was an iconic player for Oakland during his four stints with the franchise. After being drafted in 1976 and brought up in 1979 he was a fan favorite as he helped the team win a World Series title 10 years later in a sweep over their Bay Area rival San Francisco Giants. In 1993, he was traded to playoff bound Toronto Blue Jays, where he earned his second and final World Series ring.
He retired in 2003 with his last Major League game being played on September 19, 2003 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Henderson was inducted into the Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame in 2009 and just six days later the Oakland Athletics retired his jersey.
