Dave Henderson passed away yesterday just weeks after receiving a kidney transplant. I remember him mostly for his time with the Oakland Athletics as I was too young to remember his brief time in Boston, but he made a big impact. He was acquired in a midseason trade with the Mariners in 1986 along with Spike Owen for a collection of players including Rey Quinones, none of whom did much for Seattle. Henderson hit poorly during the regular season but he came up big in the postseason. IN Game 5 of the ALCS with the Red Sox down 5-4 in the 9th, he came off the bench to pinch-hit for the aging Tony Armas and delivered a two-run home run. He eventually drove in the winning run in the 11th inning with a sacrifice fly. Boston went on to the World Series and Henderson hit two more home runs there. In 1987 with an emerging Ellis Burks and Mike Greenwell, Henderson was expendable and was traded to the Giants for Randy Kutcher. He then went on to his greatest career success with the Athletics.
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