After a lifetime in Major League Baseball, Rickey Henderson, possibly the greatest leadoff hitter in the history of the sport, has achieved the goal he set for himself upon entering the league 22 years ago.

Henderson, an outfielder for the San Diego Padres, scored the 2246th run of his career Thursday, breaking Ty Cobb's 73-year-old record for the most runs ever scored.

Henderson's achievement has taken a backseat to Barry Bonds' pursuit of the single-season home run record and the impending retirement of superstars Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, but its magnitude cannot be overlooked.

The runs scored mark is one of baseball's oldest and most prestigious records, set by one of its greatest players.

Ty Cobb, who played from 1905 to 1928, was a legend from the sport's early days and is still considered by some historians as the best hitter who ever lived.

The significance of breaking a record held by the great Ty Cobb is not lost on the 42-year-old Henderson.

"When I got signed by the Oakland A's 20-some years ago, when practice was over we used to have to go to a meeting and look at films," Henderson said.

"We looked at a lot of clips of Ty Cobb and the way he played the game.

"Ty Cobb caught my eye. As a leadoff hitter, I wanted to score runs and score runs all the time.

"He stole bases and played the game hard, and that's the way I went about my business."

The objective of a leadoff hitter is simple - reach base and score runs in any way possible.

Henderson has done that as well as anyone in baseball's long history.