Stewart Honors Lifelong Friend Henderson With Heartfelt Message

Stewart Honors Lifelong Friend Henderson With Heartfelt Message originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Like the world of baseball mourn the death of the the legendary Rickey HendersonLifelong friend and former track teammate, Dave Stewart has delivered a moving tribute to honor the legacy of a larger than life icon.

“I can’t explain what it means to me someone who was present in all my memories, from childhood to today, or what it means to no longer have a tomorrow by my side,” Stewart said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Rickey Henderson was the best baseball player many people know, but that’s nothing compared to the brother he is to me.”

Henderson and Stewart first met while playing Little League together in Oakland, forming a close bond that expanded over the next five decades as the two became baseball superstars.

The duo was the cornerstone of the 1989 Athletics World Series championship team, spending five seasons together with Oakland from 1989 to 1992 and 1995.

Stewart spoke with Bob Nightengale of USA Today Saturday, detailing his special relationship with Henderson.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Stewart told Nightengale, “I still can’t. I can’t wrap my head around it. We’ve known each other pretty much our whole lives.

“He was my guy.”

Stewart shared that during his younger years, Henderson wasn’t lighting up the diamond like many had become accustomed to seeing during his 25-year MLB career, making his iconic baseball accomplishments even more impressive.

“Growing up, he wasn’t a very good baseball player,” Stewart told Nightengale. “He had great abilities. He could run and do things. But he would probably admit that out of three major sports, he was best at football, then baseball, then basketball. He had a lot to learn because his first choice was to be a big running back.

Stewart won three World Series titles during his storied career, but his number retired by the Athletics alongside Henderson’s still remains one of his most cherished moments.

“I respected and loved Rollie (Fingers), Reggie (Jackson) and Catfish (Hunter), but when my number was retired by the A’s too, alongside Rickie,” Stewart told Nightengale, “it was very, very important to me.

“I still remember that when I decided to retire in 1995, he didn’t speak to me for two, maybe three weeks. He kept telling me that I should retire when he retired. He wanted me to continue playing as long as he did (2003). So when my number was retired, what made it so special was that he and I were together, two kids from Oakland, and our numbers were being retired together by the organization that we loved.”

Henderson played 25 seasons in MLB with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Oakland Tech alum was selected by the Athletics in the fourth round of the 1976 MLB draft, and three years later made his big league debut with Oakland.

It didn’t take long for Henderson to establish himself as one of the best players in MLB. In 1980, his first full season, he earned an AL All-Star selection and finished 10th in MVP voting.

Arguably the greatest lead in MLB history, Henderson holds the MLB record for most runs scored with 2,295. He also finished with 297 home runs and 1,115 RBIs.