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We begin this item with a tip o’ the cap to the enterprising caretakers at athleticsnation.com, a shining star in the SB Nation galaxy.
Recently contributor Matt Doan posted a provocative muse on the site that merits some consideration: Given that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the A’s first season in Oakland, why not let Rickey Henderson, at age 59, take the field for one last game?
“How cool would it be?” Doan asks. As someone who covered Rickey Henderson the full width and breadth of his major league career, I’m convinced Henderson’s reaction would be something like: “Rickey is fine with Rickey playing one more game in front of Rickey’s fans who have always liked them some Rickey.”
Let’s be real about this. Reaction to this proposal is likely to solicit comments such as, “Did you fall down the stairs this morning?” and “What happens if he gets pine tar on his walker?”
So we need to be smart about this. Let’s start with precedent. Rickety … heh-heh, I accidentally typed “Rickety” … would be the oldest player in major league history. But not by a lot.
Satchel Paige started a late-season game with the Kansas City A’s when he was 59 years, 2 months and 19 days old. He didn’t embarrass himself, throwing three scoreless innings with one hit and one strikeout against the Red Sox. Paige’s socks that day were likely older than the Boston right fielder: 20-year-old Tony Conigliaro.
Wait, there’s more. Outfielder Minnie Minoso took five curtain calls after his 17-year career (apparently) concluded in 1964. In 1976, as a 50-year-old Chicago White Sox coach, Minoso played in three September games as a designated hitter (going 1-for-8 with a double). In 1980, Minoso pinch-hit in two October games.
More recently, Julio Franco played until he was 48 (hitting a home run at 47). Hoyt Wilhelm and Jamie Moyer pitched until they were 49. Phil Niekro retired at 48. Heck, Rickey played until he was 44. When he couldn’t find work in the majors, he threw in with independent league teams in San Diego and Newark.
The roll call of baseball’s oddities extends beyond age. Midget Eddie Gaedel, wearing a jersey with the number 1/8 on the back, walked in a 1951 game for the St. Louis Browns in his only plate appearance. (It was a stunt orchestrated by Browns owner Bill Veeck.) And five major leaguers have played all nine defensive positions (including pitcher) in one game, from A’s shortstop Bert Campaneris in 1965 to the Tigers’ Andrew Romine in 2017.
You can’t say mirth is dead in baseball. So why not Rickey, if he is physically up to it? It would be fun, and it would be a fitting denouement for a great player who was occasionally accused of sitting when he could’ve been playing. (Tony La Russa, when asked one day why Henderson wasn’t in the starting lineup, famously answered: “He’s mentally unavailable.”)
In the end they had to tear the uniform off his back. Funny how things work out.