Ty Cobb had held the American League stolen base record for decades, having stolen 892 bases in his career. On this day in 1990, Oakland Athletics outfielder Rickey Henderson took the record away from the Georgia Peach.
Rickey Henderson may well have been the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, and he was certainly entertaining to watch and to listen to. He was a truly gifted runner, and knew that he was one of the greatest ever. His bravado and arrogance, as well as his insistence on referring to himself in the third person, would rub some people the wrong way, but there was no questioning his ability.
Heading into the 1990 season, Henderson had stolen 871 bases, leaving him just 21 behind the American League stolen base record held by Ty Cobb. Barring injury, or some fluke, it was a matter of time before Henderson would break Cobb’s record, taking over the title as the all time stolen base leader in the AL.
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That time would come on this day in 1990. Facing the Toronto Blue Jays in what would eventually be a 2-1 loss for the Oakland Athletics, Henderson doubled with two out in the bottom of the sixth. He then victimized Blue Jays catcher Greg Myers, stealing third to surpass Cobb and take the American League record for himself.
Henderson was certainly not done running into the record books. He would later surpass Lou Brock for the all time record, ripping third base from the ground in celebration. Even then, he was not done, as Henderson continued to run until he accumulated 1,406 stolen bases, shattering the record and very likely putting it out of reach for future generations.
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Rickey Henderson would end up as the greatest stolen base king of all time by the time his career was over. When he surpassed Cobb, it was just another step to his ascension to his throne as the stolen base king.