The greatest leadoff hitter in MLB history passed away on Friday at the age of 65. Rickey Henderson was the total package of speed, power and swag, influencing the styles of thousands of baseball players of future generations.
While baseball’s all-time stolen base leader’s death came as a shock, a dagger even, to the baseball community, it’s also a reminder of how fragile life is and, as far as its impact on Black baseball, Henderson’s passing is a reminder of the African-American pioneers and titans of the game that have left this earth since Frank Robinson’s passing at the age of 83 in 2019.
Not only the sport of baseball, but the culture, history and lineage of Black excellence in baseball, dating back to the Negro leagues, is lost with each passing of these game-changers.
Their journeys, accomplishments and contributions to a game that is as healthy as ever and worth an unfathomable $79 billion serves as inspiration for the 6 percent of Black players currently in the league and a reminder of how impactful the Black athlete and Black expression was to the rise of a sport that once turned its back on men of color.
Frank Robinson Passes In 2019
There were many defining moments in the life of pioneer Frank Robinson, previously the only player in history to win MVPs in both leagues, before Shohei Ohtani won the NL award in 2024, adding that hardware to his two previous awards with the L.A. Angels in the American League.
From 1975 — when he became the first Black manager in MLB history — to 2006 Robinson managed the Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals. Then he served in various executive positions for Major League Baseball, concluding as honorary President of the American League.
Robinson was a vocal critic of baseball for not hiring more black managers. He was considered “controversial” for bringing light to baseball’s racial disparity in leadership positions. Robinson retired fourth on baseball’s all-time home run list and he earned every one of his 586 career bombs.
While Jackie Robinson opened the floodgates for African-Americans by enduring hate and keeping his head down, Frank Robinson was more ’60s-militant with his approach, even reportedly pulling a gun on a racist cook.
Robinson was also the first Black man to be named MLB vice president of on-field operations. As the “Dean of Discipline,” he held players to the same values and standards that he exemplified as a player. In fact, he did so better than any disciplinarian in MLB history, handing out 19 suspensions to one Dodgers team for “incendiary mingling” in the stands.
Bob Gibson Falls To Pancreatic Cancer In 2020
“Bullet” Bob Gibson was one of the first dominant Black pitchers in the Major Leagues and went on to play his entire 17-year MLB tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he grabbed two World Series championships, an NL MVP, nine All-Star appearances, and led the league in wins and ERA.
In 1968, Gibson posted a minuscule 1.12 ERA and then MLB lowered the mound because of his sheer dominance to return an advantage to the batters. Gibson is tied with CC Sabathia for the most wins (251) by a Black Ace and his blazing heater and head-hunter attitude became a standard for intimidating hurlers. There are only 15 Black pitchers or “Black Aces” in the history of MLB. Gibson might be the best of them all.
Legendary Base-Stealer Lou Brock Passes Away In 2020
With the exception of Rickey Henderson, who took Brock’s blueprint and supersized it, Lou Brock is the greatest bag swiper in MLB history. The speedster was also 81-years-old when he passed on Sept. 6, 2020, three years after being diagnosed with cancer.
Maury Wills, Lou Brock, Rickey Henderson, and Vince Coleman are the only MLB players to steal 100 bases since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.
Like his teammate and friend Gibson, Brock elevated his skills in the postseason, batting .391 with four homers, 16 RBIs and 14 steals in 21 World Series games.
In his 1976 memoir “Lou Brock: Stealing is My Game,” he explained his success. Take a “modest lead” and “stand perfectly still.” The pitcher was obligated to move, if only “to deliver the pitch.”
The man later nicknamed the “Running Redbird” and the “Base Burglar” arrived in St. Louis in June 1964. He swiped a whopping 938 bases in his career, including 118 in 1974 — both of those were big league records until they were broken by Rickey. Brock was a lethal weapon who led the league in steals eight times, scored 100 or more runs seven times and is a member of the vaunted 3,000 hits club.
Home Run King Hank Aaron Dies In 2021
We lost the legendary Hank Aaron in January 2021. The man many still recognize as MLB’s all-time home run king, was a mythical figure whose presence inspired an entire generation of Black first-round draft picks through a program named after the record-breaking baseball legend and civil rights icon as a key figure during the civil rights movement.
Aaron, who holds the MLB record for All-Star selections with 25, famously broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in April 1974. This April was the 50th anniversary of Aaron’s 715 home run off Dodgers’ Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
He endured death threats and vile insults from fans as he approached Ruth’s record, but his 755 homers stood as the Major League record for 33 years before Barry Bonds became the leader of the club.
Aaron was the model of consistency, playing 23 seasons and nearly averaged 100 RBI a season (2,297 RBI total). His passing was a major blow to the baseball community.
Maury Wills Passes In 2022
Maury Wills is probably the most underrated and underappreciated superstar in Major League History.
This icon reintroduced the stolen base as a weapon in baseball in his era. Before Lou Brock swiped 100 bases and then Rickey Henderson stole 130 bags back in 1982, it was Maury Wills that set the blueprint of the “art of the steal” on the basepaths, breaking Ty Cobb’s record for stolen bases (96) with 104 in 1962.
Based on this statement to The New York Times that year, his mindset was different from the other players in that era…
“Stealing is a matter of confidence, even conceit,” he told The New York Times in September 1962. “It’s more than getting a good jump, a big lead. It’s being in the right frame of mind. I run with the thought that the pitcher will make a perfect throw and the catcher will make a perfect throw and I’ll still beat them. I don’t have a doubt.”
Wills broke Ty Cobb’s record that had stood since the 1915 season. He won the National League Most Valuable Player award in ’62 and won the first MLB All-Star Game MVP that year.
In his 14 seasons, Wills collected 20 homers, 458 RBI, 2,134 hits, 1,067 runs, 177 doubles, 71 triples and 552 walks in 1,942 games. Add on seven All-Star games, and it’s a shame he’s not in the Hall of Fame.
Five-Tool Legend Willie Mays Passes In 2024 at Age 93
The great Willie Mays died on June 18, 2024, one day before his legacy was to be celebrated with a personal appearance at Rickwood Field, the oldest Negro leagues park in America, where, as a 17-year-old he roamed the outfield for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League.
Mays was the consummate “five-tool” player and earned the nickname “The Say Hey Kid” after sportswriter Barney Kremenko heard him regularly say the aforementioned phrase in 1951. The Say Hey Kid is indeed the godfather of Barry, with Barry’s father, Bobby Bonds, being Mays’ teammate.
With all of his 12 Gold Gloves coming from 1957-68, Mays asserted his dominance on the defensive end. Mays has an all-time outfielder fielding percentage of 98.1 percent. To add, Mays’ most famed catch is simply known as “The Catch” — an over-the-shoulder snag in the 1954 World Series.
One of the many highlights that surrounded Mays’ storied career was his power at the plate. In 10,924 at bats, Mays hit 660 home runs, which sits him sixth on the all-time home run rankings.
At his peak, he was the best to ever do it, as in 1961, he hit four bombs in a game with legendary Hank Aaron in the opposing dugout. In 1966, he became the then-record holder for balls over the wall with 535, passing Jimmie Foxx.
Black Baseball History Has Lost Its Founding Fathers: New Faces Continue To Carry On Tradition
These are names that can’t be replaced even with time. The lifeline of Black baseball ran through the veins of these men who played at a time when nobody wanted them on the field to a time when there were more of them on the field than there ever has been.
We have new stars such as Mookie Betts and Michael Harris II, Jazz Chisholm and Devin Williams who are carrying on tradition, but the legacies of the aforementioned great, including The Sultan of Swipe, Rickey Henderson, shouldn’t be forgotten. They represent everything that makes the game diverse and authentic and consistent with its real history.
