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Rickey reaches 3,000

In his first at-bat of the season finale, Henderson doubles to become 25th man to reach milestone.

©Associated Press

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 8, 2001

SAN DIEGO -- Rickey Henderson made sure he didn't go into the winter still waiting for his 3,000th hit.

Henderson became the 25th member of the 3,000-hit club with a bloop double Sunday, doing it in the last game of the season.

"It's a great feeling, a feeling that you can't really describe," said Henderson, the Padres' flamboyant 42-year-old leadoff hitter who is baseball's runs, steals and walks leader.

"I thought I would never get there because I walk so much. If you continue to play as long as I've been playing, you get the opportunity to do it."

Ending his 23rd season, Henderson made history as quickly as possible in the Padres' 14-5 loss to Colorado.

With the crowd of 60,103 on its feet, Henderson lofted the first pitch from Colorado's John Thomson toward the rightfield line.

Three Rockies converged, but the ball dropped about 10 feet inside the line. Henderson chugged into second standing with another big number to adorn his Hall of Fame plaque.

Three days earlier, Henderson broke Ty Cobb's career record by scoring his 2,246th run, homering and sliding into the plate.

"I knew this was the last day and I thought I'd have four at-bats," Henderson said. "I wanted to take up the whole at-bat and get as many swings as I could get until I got the hit.

"It just so happened I got a pitch inside-out and drove it to rightfield and it dropped in."

The Padres raced to second, and Henderson walked toward them with open arms.

Among those greeting Henderson was Tony Gwynn, who got his 3,000th hit Aug. 6, 1999, and finished his 20-year career Sunday with 3,141.

Henderson went to foul territory and got a hug from another member of the 3,000-hit club, Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. Winfield got his 3,000th on Sept. 16, 1993, with Minnesota.

Winfield, who went into the Hall of Fame this year, is on the Padres board of directors.

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