A's Honor Rickey Henderson in Return to Mesa

Aug 7, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics former outfielder Rickey Henderson before the game against the San Francisco Giants at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Ahead of Saturday's game against the visiting Colorado Rockies, the Sacramento-bound Athletics all donned black shirts with Rickey Henderson's smiliing face on them.

Honoring no. 24 pic.twitter.com/xHlSpVSoYG

— Athletics (@Athletics) February 23, 2025

Before the game, A's manager Mark Kotsay was asked about the gesture. "We wanted to do something to show our love and how much we miss him. Obviously this shirt with that smile, that's the memory of Rickey. I don't know if he ever had a bad day. He was always smiling."

While he didn't speak at Rickey's Celbration of Life at the beginning of the month, Kotsay, along with a number of front office personnel were on hand. Kotsay said that his main takeaway from the memorial was the word fearlessness, because that's how Henderson played the game.

He also recounted a time back in 2001 when Kotsay, 25 and in his first season with the San Diego Padres after being traded by the Florida Marlins, was teammates with Rickey.

"I played center, he played left, and Tony Gwynn played right, so that's pretty cool. Him sliding into home plate when he broke the runs scored record was on a home run to left field. We all gathered and he literally slid into home. It was great."

The A's will be wearing a patch with Rickey's number, 24, all season long in 2025 to celebrate his life, legacy, and what he has meant to the franchise since he debuted with the club in 1979.

Rickey Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader (1,406), the all-time runs scored leader (2,295), and also led the way in the number of times he was caught stealing a base with 335. He's also a member of the 3,000 hit club with 3,055, and is the all-time leader in leadoff home runs with 81, a feat he once accomplished in both games of a doubleheader.

Rickey was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009 and was a former MVP, three-time Sliver Slugger, a Gold Glover, a ten-time All-Star, and a two-time World Series winner.