I started watching baseball in 1991. By that time Dave Henderson was a big part of the Oakland Athletics outfield playing in between Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson. Hendu was a great player. So when I started paying close attention to the backs of baseball cards and discovered that Hendu was once a Red Sox outfielder, I was surprised. I also knew I had to get cards of him.
Henderson was never quite as good with Boston though. He played parts of two seasons with Boston. In 1986 he was acquired along with Spike Owen from the Mariners to take over for the aging Tony Armas in center field. He did not hit particularly well during the season finishing with a line of .196/.226/.314 with one home run and three RBIs in 36 games. But in the ALCS against the Angels, Henderson hit a home run that gave Boston a massive win and got the team back into the series. It is one of the biggest home runs in Red Sox history. And he built on that with a terrific World Series performance in which he hit .400/.448/.760 with two home runs and five RBIs.
He hit better in 1987 with a final line of .234/.313/.418 and eight home runs. It was not a terrific season and he was starting to get squeezed by the appearance of Ellis Burks in the majors. Henderson was traded in September to the Giants for Randy Kutcher.
Henderson had one card in 2004 Upper Deck Timeless Teams and an autograph parallel. I am still trying to get that auto.
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