Dave Henderson
From BR Bullpen
David Lee Henderson
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 220 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
Dave Henderson played 14 seasons in the major leagues, hitting 197 home runs.
He began his major league career with the Seattle Mariners mostly as a part-time player with a decent bat. In 1986 he was part of a major trade. The Red Sox traded promising young shortstop Rey Quinones along with prospects to Seattle for Henderson and Spike Owen. This was one of the best moves GM Lou Gorman made with the Red Sox and may have been related to his relationships with the Mariners where he was previously GM.
The trade was key for the Red Sox 1986 pennant drive as Quinones was not ready to be an everyday shortstop and Henderson was needed to fill in for the aging Tony Armas Sr. in centerfield. Henderson was not able to contribute much during the regular season but had a major impact in the postseason. During game 5 of the 1986 ALCS Henderson hit a two-out two-strike go-ahead two run shot off Donnie Moore in the top of the ninth inning with the California Angels one strike away from the World Series. He then hit the sacrifice fly in that won the game in extra innings.
In 1987 Henderson struggled for the Red Sox and was traded late in the season to the San Francisco Giants for Randy Kutcher. Despite many opportunities early in his career he did not emerge as an everyday player until the age of 30 when he signed with the Oakland Athletics as a free agent in 1988. With the A's he actually became a minor star on their World Series teams from 1988-1990. 1988 was his career year when he hit .304 with 24 HR and 94 RBI. He missed almost the entire 1992 season with an injury, but came back to post one more relatively productive year in 1993. Henderson played his final year with the Kansas City Royals in 1994.
Henderson will most be remembered for his enthusiastic style of play and for his spinning leap after he hit the Game 5 HR in 1986.
He has been a broadcaster for the Seattle Mariners since 1998
Henderson is the nephew of Joe Henderson
[edit] Notable Achievements
- AL All-Star (1991)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 4 (1988, 1990, 1991 & 1993)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1988)
- Won a World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1989
