COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Rickey Henderson knew what was expected every time he batted.
So did Jim Rice.
“Some way, I was going to scratch to get on base to steal that base,” Henderson said. “I steal that base, my day was good. My pride and joy was coming across the plate.”
Said Rice: “Believe me, I wasn’t paid to walk. I was paid to try to do some damage.”
Each player — Henderson, the quintessential leadoff man with an infectious smile; and Rice, the consummate power hitter with an icy glare — inflicted more than his share of damage on opponents, and they will be duly recognized for their considerable career accomplishments today when they are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The two will be the first inductees to primarily play left field since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski went into the Hall of Fame in 1989.
Former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected posthumously by the Veterans Committee, also will be inducted, while former Yankees star and longtime broadcaster Tony Kubek and sportswriter Nick Peters will be honored as winners of the Frick and Spink awards, respectively.
“As a kid, you grow up playing the game, and you never really know what you can achieve,” Henderson said.
A member of nine teams during his 25-year career, the fun-loving Henderson achieved more than most. He holds the major-league records for stolen bases in a season (130) and career (1,406), for runs scored (2,295) and for leading off a game with a home run (81).
“Competing against myself — I think that’s what made me the player that I became,” Henderson said. “I had a lot of desire to be a winner and play the game to the fullest.”
Hitting homers was second nature to Rice, who played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox. Playing at a time when offensive numbers paled in comparison to the past two decades, the so-called steroid era, Rice batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs from 1974-89. He was voted to eight all-star teams and finished in the top five in AL MVP voting six times, winning the award in 1978 when he batted .315 with 213 hits, 46 home runs, 139 RBIs and a .600 slugging percentage.
