How did Rickey Henderson die? Cause of death explored as baseball Hall of Famer & stolen bases legend passes away at 65

Baseball fans everywhere are learning the news of Oakland Athletics' great Rickey Henderson passing away. The speedster passed away at the age of 65 on Friday in the Oakland area.

According to The New York Post, Henderson died after battling pneumonia. He was just days away from celebrating his 66th birthday, which would have occurred on Christmas Day.

Henderson's former teammate, Dave Winfield was among those that delivered the tragic news. That news was then later confirmed by multiple outlets.

The baseball world certainly lost a great one here. The 10-time All-Star was a role model to many during his illustrious 25-year career in the big leagues, showing everyone how speed can make a difference.

Will anybody ever beat Rickey Henderson's single-season stolen base record?

Oakland Athletics - Rickey Henderson (Photo via IMAGN)

There are some records in professional sports that are considered to be unbreakable. Rickey Henderson's single-season stolen base record is certainly one of those records.

During the 1982 season, Henderson stole a whopping 130 bases, breaking St. Louis Cardinals' slugger Lou Brock's record of 118. Out of 172 attempts, opposing catchers were only able to gun Henderson out 42 times.

Even with the larger bases and limited pickoff attempts pitchers have, this record will likely stand the test of time. Cincinnati Reds' slugger Elly De La Cruz, who led all players in stolen bases in 2024, did not even attempt close to 130 steals.

Henderson also holds the record for most stolen bases throughout a career with 1,406. That is another record that will not be disappearing anytime soon. Among active players, Starling Marte leads all with his 354 stolen bases.

This goes to show just how fast and how good of a jump Henderson got off opposing pitchers. He was an enigma that many will truly miss.