David Lee Henderson (July 21, 1958 – December 27, 2015), nicknamed "Hendu", was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
player. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
,
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
,
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
,
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
, and
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
during his 14-year career, primarily as an
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
.
Henderson is best remembered for the two-out, two-strike home run he hit in the top of the ninth inning in Game 5 of the
1986 American League Championship Series. He helped his teams reach the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
four times during his career—Boston in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
and Oakland from
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
to
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
, with Oakland winning the championship in
1989. His uncle
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...
appeared in 16 MLB games as a pitcher during the mid-1970s.
Road to the majors
Henderson was born in
Merced, California
Merced (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up ...
and grew up in nearby
Dos Palos
Dos Palos (Spanish for "Two Timbers") is a city in Merced County, California, United States. Dos Palos is located south-southwest of Merced, the county seat, at an elevation of . The population was 5,798 at the 2020 census, up from 4,950 at the ...
, where he attended high school and played both baseball and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
.
With the football team, which won championships in 1975 and 1976, he played
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
,
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
, and
strong safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
.
One of his baseball teammates was future College World Series MVP
Stan Holmes. The team won championships in 1976 and 1977.
Henderson's uniform numbers—42 in football, 22 in baseball—were both retired by the Dos Palos Broncos, which inducted him into the school's Hall of Fame in 2012 and named their baseball field in his honor.
Henderson was selected by the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
in the first round of the
1977 Major League Baseball draft.
His first professional season was 1977 with the
Bellingham Mariners
The Bellingham Mariners were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington. The club served as the Seattle Mariners' short-season affiliate from 1977 to 1994.
History
Major League B ...
of the Class A short season
Northwest League
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...
, where he played in 65 games,
batting Batting may refer to:
* Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs
* Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...
.315 with 16
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 63
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(RBIs).
Henderson's next two seasons were spent in the Class A
California League
The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...
. In 1978, he was with the
Stockton Mariners, batting .232 with 7 home runs and 63 RBIs in 117 games. In 1979, he was with the
San Jose Missions
The San Jose Missions were a minor league baseball team located in San Jose, California. The Missions played from 1977 to 1978 as members of the AAA Pacific Coast League. The Missions name returned in 1979 under a new franchise that played in the ...
, batting .300 with 27 home runs and 99 RBIs in 136 games. In 1980, Henderson moved up to Class AAA, playing with the
Spokane Indians
The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...
of the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
, where he played in 109 games, batting .279 with 7 home runs and 50 RBIs.
Major League Baseball
Seattle Mariners
Entering the season, Henderson was named the Mariners' starting center fielder on
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
, going hitless in four at bats. His first MLB hit came several games into the season—a home run against Oakland pitcher
Steve McCatty, after Henderson had been hitless in his first nine major league plate appearances. He struggled at the plate throughout the season; at the end of April, he was batting .135, which improved only slightly to .172 at the end of May. After then going 1-for-10 at the start of June, he was sent back down to Spokane in Class AAA.
Henderson spent much of the summer with Spokane, appearing in 80 games while batting .279 with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. In early September, he was recalled, with his first appearance back with the Mariners coming on September 3, in a 20-inning game against the Red Sox—one of the longest MLB games ever played. From when he was recalled until the end of the season, he appeared mostly as a late-innings defensive replacement, finishing his first MLB year with a .167 average in 59 games played, with 6 home runs at 13 RBIs.
During the season, Henderson's playing time increased significantly, as he appeared in 104 games, with 85 complete games played (all in center field). He batted .253 for the season, with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs. In , his batting average improved to .269 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs, while appearing in 137 games, with 124 of them being complete games in the outfield (78 in center field and 46 in right field). Henderson spent some of the season on the disabled list because of a hamstring injury.
Still, he hit well, batting .280 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs in 112 games played with 78 complete games in the outfield (all but 9 in center). His batting average dropped somewhat in , as he hit .241 with 14 home runs and 68 RBIs, while appearing in 139 games with 117 of them being complete games in the outfield (all but 12 in center).
Early in the season, Red Sox pitcher
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...
became the first pitcher to record 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, which he accomplished in a game at
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...
against the Mariners, with Henderson being three of his strikeouts. Henderson struggled at the plate early in the season, batting below .200 as late as May 25. By the end of June, he had improved to .250, and he was batting .272 at the end of July.
Overall, Henderson played with Seattle for parts of six seasons, appearing in a total of 654 games, while batting .257 with 79 home runs and 271 RBIs.
Boston Red Sox
On August 19, 1986, the Red Sox, atop the
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...
division, traded for Henderson and Mariner shortstop
Spike Owen
Spike Dee Owen (born April 19, 1961) is an American former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners (1983–86), Boston Red Sox (1986–88), Montreal Expos (1989–92), New York Yankees (1993) and California Angels ...
, sending
Rey Quiñones,
Mike Brown,
Mike Trujillo, and a
player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
to Seattle. Henderson was acquired to backup Boston center fielder
Tony Armas
Antonio Rafael Armas Machado (born July 2, 1953) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1976 to 1989. He is the father of pitcher Tony Armas Jr. and the older brother o ...
.
At the time of the trade, Henderson was batting .276 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs, having appeared in 103 games.
Henderson joined the
1986 Red Sox on August 19, and appeared in 36 games over the remainder of the regular season, with just 7 complete games (all in center field). Most of his appearances were as a late-game defensive replacement in center field, or as a pinch hitter – he had only 51 at bats, collecting 10 hits (.196 average) with one home run and three RBIs. The Red Sox finished the season on top of the
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...
– 5½ games ahead of the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
– and would face the winners of the
American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...
, the then
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
, in the
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
(ALCS).
1986 ALCS home run
Henderson is best remembered for the two-out, two-strike home run he hit in the top of the ninth inning in Game 5 of the
1986 ALCS.
At the time, the Angels were playing at home and were ahead in the series 3 games to 1 over the Red Sox. Henderson had appeared in Game 2 and Game 4 as a late-innings defensive replacement for
Tony Armas
Antonio Rafael Armas Machado (born July 2, 1953) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1976 to 1989. He is the father of pitcher Tony Armas Jr. and the older brother o ...
, and was hitless in one at bat. In Game 5, Armas sprained his ankle in the second inning, and was replaced by Henderson, who entered the game to play centerfield in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the Red Sox leading 2–1 in the sixth inning, the Angels had a man on second with two-out, when
Bobby Grich
Robert Anthony Grich (born January 15, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles (–) and the California Angels (–). In 1981, Grich led the ...
hit a deep fly ball that Henderson attempted to catch on the
warning track
The warning track is the part of the baseball field that is closest to the wall or fence and is made of a different material than the field. Common materials for the warning track include dirt or rubber; it should always be of a different material ...
– the ball deflected off his glove and went over the wall, giving Grich a two-run home run. The Angels now had a 3–2 lead, with Henderson the likely scapegoat, should the Red Sox lose the game. Henderson batted in the seventh inning and struck out, while the Angels added two more runs in their half of the seventh.
The Angels had a 5–2 lead going into the ninth inning and were three outs away from their first-ever trip to the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
, but the Red Sox closed the gap to 5–4 on a two-run home run by
Don Baylor
Don Edward Baylor (June 28, 1949 – August 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and manager. During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate (" crowding ...
. When Henderson stepped to the plate to face
reliever
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather ...
Donnie Moore
Donnie Ray Moore (February 13, 1954 – July 18, 1989) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Chicago Cubs (1975, 1977–79), St. Louis Cardinals (1980), Milwaukee Brewers (1981), Atlanta Braves (1982–8 ...
, there were two outs and catcher
Rich Gedman
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...
was on first after being hit by a pitch. After falling behind in the
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
1-2 – the Angels now one strike away from advancing – Henderson took a ball to even the count at 2-2, and fouled off the next two pitches. Then, on Moore's seventh pitch of the at bat, Henderson hit a drive to left that cleared the outfield wall, stunning the Angels and all of
Anaheim Stadium
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los Angel ...
. Henderson's blast prompted television broadcast announcer
Al Michaels
Alan Richard Michaels (born November 12, 1944) is an American television sportscaster currently working as the play-by-play announcer for '' Thursday Night Football'' on Prime Video and in an emeritus role for NBC Sports. He has worked on n ...
to state, "You’re looking at one for the ages here.”
The Angels tied the game 6–6 in the bottom of the ninth, and the game went into
extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.
Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine regulation innings (in softball and high school baseball games there are typically seven innings; in Little Lea ...
. In the top of the 11th, the Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs, and Henderson hit a
sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d):
"Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...
that Baylor scored on, which put the Red Sox ahead 7–6 and proved to be the margin of victory. Still down 3 games to 2 in the series, the Red Sox returned home to
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...
for the final two games, where they defeated the Angels 10–4 and 8–1 to capture the AL
pennant. Henderson played center field for both of those games – collecting a walk and a run in each game, but going hitless – as Armas' injury kept him from playing. For the ALCS, Henderson finished 1-for-9 at the plate, with his only hit being the season-saving home run in Game 5.
1986 World Series
Henderson was the Red Sox' centerfielder throughout the
1986 World Series, as Tony Armas was sidelined by the injury he had sustained in the ALCS; Armas made only a single appearance, as a pinch hitter. Henderson hit .400 (10-for-25) in a losing cause, as the Red Sox were defeated by the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in seven games. Henderson hit two home runs – the first during the Red Sox' 9–3 win in Game 2, and the second came in the 10th inning of Game 6, giving the Red Sox a 4–3 lead in a game they would go on to lose 6–5.
1987 season
Henderson was Boston's starting center fielder for the first month of the season, and during April he hit .239 (17-for-71, also 18 strikeouts) with 3 home runs and six RBIs. On April 30, the Red Sox called up rookie
Ellis Burks
Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis.
Surname
A
* Abe Ellis (Stargate), a fictional character in the TV series ''St ...
from their minor league system, and Burks took over as the regular center fielder. Henderson saw his playing time decrease as he primarily played corner outfield positions, along with pinch hitting. At the end of May he was hitting .240, then he struggled during June, dropping to a .206 average. After having only six at bats in July, he received more playing time in August and raised his season totals to a .234 average with 8 home runs and 25 RBIs, but on September 1 the Red Sox traded him to the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
for a
player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
(ultimately,
Randy Kutcher
Randy Scott Kutcher (born April 20, 1960) is a former Major League Baseball utility outfielder for the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox from 1986 through 1990. He batted and threw right-handed.
Kutcher was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He was ...
).
Over parts of two seasons with Boston, Henderson played in 111 regular season games, batting .226 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs.
San Francisco Giants
Henderson spent the final month of the 1987 season with San Francisco, where he appeared in 15 games, batting for a .238 average. While the Giants won the
National League West
The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed for the 1969 season when the National League expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a re ...
and were in the
1987 National League Championship Series, Henderson was acquired hours past the
postseason roster deadline, thus was not eligible to play for the Giants in the playoffs.
After the season, Henderson was granted
free agency
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...
.
Oakland Athletics
1988 season
Henderson signed as a free agent with Oakland before the season, following his brief stint with the Giants. He was the Athletics' starting center fielder on
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
, and appeared in a total of 146 games, including 127 complete games in center field. His performance proved to be one of the season's biggest surprises
as he set career highs in batting average (.304), runs (100), hits (154), doubles (38), RBIs (94), and
slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
(.525). He also hit 24 home runs, and the Athletics were 23–1 when he homered.
Henderson received consideration during
AL MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...
voting and finished 13th, with the award going to his Athletics teammate
Jose Canseco
José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...
.
The Athletics finished the season with a 104–58 record, and won the
American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...
by 13 games over the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
. In the
1988 ALCS, the Athletics faced the Red Sox and swept them in four games. Henderson batted 6-for-16 (.375) with one home run and four RBIs during the ALCS. The Athletics advanced to the
1988 World Series where they lost to the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
in five games, including their Game 1 loss on
Kirk Gibson's famous home run. Henderson batted 6-for-20 (.300) with one RBI. Overall in the 1988 postseason he batted 12-for-36 (.333) with one home run and five RBIs, and he played center field for all of Oakland's games.
1989 season
In Henderson was again the team's primary center fielder, playing 134 complete games, and appearing in a total of 152 games during the season. His hitting wasn't as good as the prior year, as he batted .250 (down from .304) and had 131 strikeouts (up from 92). He had 15 home runs and 80 RBIs. The Athletics had a 99–63 record to win the AL West again, finishing 7 games ahead of the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
. In the
1989 ALCS the Athletics beat the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
in five games. Henderson hit 5-for-19 (.263) with one home run and one RBI during the ALCS.
Oakland faced the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
in the
1989 World Series and swept them in four games, although those games were played over a period of two weeks due to the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake before the start of Game 3. Henderson hit 4-for-13 (.308) with two home runs and four RBIs during the series. For the 1989 postseason his batting average was .281 (9-for-32) with three home runs and nine RBIs, and he played center field throughout. This championship proved to be the only one of Henderson's MLB career.
1990 season
The season again found Oakland winning the AL West, this year with a 103–59 record, finishing ahead of the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
by 9 games. Henderson batted .271 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs, while appearing in 127 games, including 100 complete games in center field. He missed 27 games between August 20 and September 21, due to torn cartilage in his right knee.
Oakland met the AL East winning Red Sox in the
1990 ALCS and swept them in four games, as they had done two years prior. Oakland had
Willie McGee
Willie Dean McGee (born November 2, 1958) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is an assistant coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for four teams, over 18 seasons. H ...
in center field in the first two games, with Henderson playing the last two games. During those two games, Henderson batted 1-for-6 (.167) with one RBI. Oakland was unable to repeat as champions, being swept in four games by the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
in the
1990 World Series. Henderson batted 3-for-13 (.231) without a home run or RBI. Oakland used McGee in center field in Game 1, with Henderson playing the other three games. Overall for the postseason, Henderson hit .211 (4-for-19) with one RBI and without a home run.
1991–1993
During the first half of the season, Henderson hit well, batting .298 with 18 home runs and 50 RBIs, and was selected for the
1991 All-Star Game with over 1.5 million fan votes. He started the All-Star Game for the AL in right field, and was 0-for-2 at the plate before being pinch hit for by
Rubén Sierra
Rubén Angel Sierra García (born October 6, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Sierra goes by the nicknames ''El Caballo'' and ''El Indio''.
Over 20 seasons, Sierra played for the Texas Rangers (1986–92, 2000–01, 2003), ...
in the sixth inning. In August, Henderson hit three home runs in a single game, in a losing effort against the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
, with all three coming in consecutive at bats off of starting pitcher
David West. Henderson's average dipped in the second half of the season and he finished the year at .276 with 85 RBIs and a career-high 25 home runs. The Athletics finished with an 84–78 record, 4th place in the AL West.
Henderson had problems with a badly strained right hamstring throughout the season,
which limited him to just 20 games played, and caused him to miss 104 consecutive games between May 5 and the start of September. He hit just 9-for-63 (.143) for the season, with 2 RBIs. While Oakland won the AL West (then lost to Toronto in six games in the
1992 ALCS), Henderson was left off of the postseason roster due to his injury.
For the season, Henderson appeared in 107 games, including 54 complete games in the outfield and 26 starts as
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...
(DH). He batted .220 with 20 home runs and 53 RBIs. The Athletics finished the season with a 68–94 record, last place in the AL West. After the season ended, Henderson became a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.
Overall, Henderson spent six seasons with Oakland, batting .263 with 104 home runs and 377 RBIs. His time with Oakland included the only All-Star Game and the only World Series championship of his career.
Kansas City Royals
Before the start of the season, Henderson was signed as a free agent by the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
, as the club intended to
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
him with
Bob Hamelin. For the first month of the season Henderson was the Royals' regular right fielder, however he only hit 9-for-47 (.191) with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. Over the coming months he appeared more as DH and was not an everyday player. Through late July he was hitting .247 with 5 home runs at 31 RBIs, having appeared in only 56 of the team's 103 games. Shortly after his 36th birthday, Henderson retired on July 29, 1994, which was his last MLB appearance – against the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
, he played the final two innings of the game as a defensive replacement in left field.
During his 14 MLB seasons, Henderson appeared in 1538 games, batting .258 with 197 home runs and 708 RBIs. Defensively, he played 1,388 games in the outfield (1157 in center field), with a .984 fielding percentage.
Personal life
Henderson was married twice, and had two sons,
one of whom is affected by
Angelman syndrome
Angelman syndrome or Angelman's syndrome (AS) is a genetic disorder that mainly affects the nervous system. Symptoms include a small head and a specific facial appearance, severe intellectual disability, developmental disability, limited to no f ...
,
which Henderson worked to raise research funding for.
After retiring as a player, Henderson lived in the Seattle area
and remained involved in baseball as an agent, broadcaster, and running fantasy camps.
He also co-founded a charity that provides Christmas gifts to children. Henderson owned and operated Dave Henderson's Ball Yard in Bellevue, WA during the 1990s.
Broadcasting
From 1997 to 2006, Henderson worked as a
color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...
during Mariners radio and television broadcasts. He returned to the Mariners' radio booth during 2011 and 2012 as one of a rotating crew of part-time announcers working with
Rick Rizzs
Rick Rizzs (born November 17, 1953) is an American sportscaster and is the lead radio voice for Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners.
Early life and career
Rizzs is from Blue Island, Illinois, where he attended Eisenhower High School, and h ...
who succeeded the deceased
Dave Niehaus
David Arnold Niehaus (February 19, 1935 – November 10, 2010) was an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in until his death after the 2010 season. I ...
.
Death
Henderson suffered a heart attack and died at
Harborview Medical Center
Harborview Medical Center is a public hospital located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is managed by UW Medicine.
Overview
Harborview Medical Center is the designated Disaster Control Hospital for Seat ...
in Seattle on December 27, 2015,
approximately two months after having undergone a
kidney transplant
Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...
.
References
Further reading
ESPN.com: For the Love of Hendu*
ttp://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v31087605/detoak-gm1-dave-henderson-cheers-on-the-as MLB.com: Dave Henderson at ALDS Game 1br>
Youtube.com: Nexxlegacy Sports Radio an interview with the late Dave Henderson
External links
Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments(#24)
Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame pageObituary at Legacy.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Dave
1958 births
2015 deaths
African-American baseball players
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