#9 - Nolan Ryan (1947- )

"The Ryan Express"

Teams:
New York Mets (1966; 1968-1971)
California Angels (1972-1979)
Houston Astros (1980-1988)
Texas Rangers (1989-1993)

Career Statistics:
W-L:  324-292
W-L %:  .525
ERA:  3.19
Strikeouts:  5,714
BB:  2,795
CG:  222
SHO:  61
IP:  5,386
WHIP:  1.247

Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. was born in Refugio, Texas.  When he was 6 weeks old, his family moved to Alvin, Texas.  When he was a boy, he enjoyed throwing rocks at any target, so his father encouraged him to play baseball to save their windows.  He joined Alvin Little League Baseball when he was nine, and threw his first no-hitter a few years later.

After graduating Alvin High School in 1965, Ryan was drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft.  He was assigned to the Marion Mets of Marion, Virginia in the Appalachian League.  He was called up the Mets the following year, and logged his first strikeout against Pat Jarvis.  He later gave up his first career homer to future-manager Joe Torre.

He missed much of the next season due to illness, an arm injury, and service with the Army Reserve.  He only managed to pitch seven innings for the Met's minor league equivalent in Jacksonville, Florida.  In 1968, he finally returned to the Mets for good, though he was unable to crack the Mets rotation, due to superstars Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman.  He was used more as a reliever and spot starter in 1969.  In the 1969 postseason, Ryan pitched seven innings of relief in Game 3 against the Braves.  Later, in that season's World Series, Ryan pitched 2 1/2 shutout innings of relief against the Baltimore Orioles, which gave the Mets a 2-1 series lead.  The Mets would eventually win the Series, but it would be Ryan's first and last World Series appearance.

On April 18, 1970, Ryan tied a Mets record by striking out 15 batters in one game, though teammate Tom Seaver broke the record four days later by fanning 19 batters.  In 1971, Ryan posted a 10-14 record, and was finding himself increasingly frustrated with baseball.  At one time, he even contemplated retiring.  He informed the Mets that he was not happy playing in New York and requested a trade.

His request was granted December 10, 1971 when he was traded to the California Angels.  In his first season, he was given the opportunity to be in the starting rotation and he ended up leading the league with 329 strikeouts.  He also set a Major League record by allowing only 5.26 hits per game, as well as having a 2.28 ERA.  For a majority of Ryan's time in California, the Angels didn't manage to drag themselves above a .500 record, but Ryan put up some notable winning seasons:  19-16 in '72, 21-16 in '73, and 22-16 in '74.  However, Ryan actually led the league in losses in 1975 with a 17-18 record, though the numbers are a bit skewed due to the fact that most ball clubs at the time used only a four-man rotation and expected their starting pitchers to pitch for a majority of the game, which resulted in few no-decisions for him.

In 1973, Ryan struck out 383 batters, beating Sandy Koufax's record by one.  He also threw two no-hitters this season, striking out 17 batters in the second.  In 1974 and 1975, he added to more no-hitters to his resume, and also managed to twice strike out 19 batters in a game in 1974.  This tied the record set by former teammate, Tom Seaver, and flamethrower, Steve Carlton (Roger Clemens broke the record in 1986).  In 1979, his final season with the club, he helped the Angels reach the ALCS.  He pitched seven innings with the Orioles, though he ended up with a no-decision.  The Orioles took the Series in four games.  Ryan led the American League in strikeouts seven of his eight seasons with the Angels, though he also led the league in walks six of those years, and came in second the other two.  This is a common complaint lodged against Nolan Ryan because he was incredibly prone to walking batters, though he usually made up for it by striking out so many others. 

Nolan entered into free agency after the 1979 season, and eventually signed with the Houson Astros.  He got his season off with a bang by hitting a three-run homer (one of two in his career) against Don Sutton in his first game with the Astros.  On July 4, 1980, he struck out his 3,000th career batter.  On September 26, 1981, Ryan threw his fifth career no-hitter, breaking Sandy Koufax's record.  Ryan posted a mere 1.69 ERA that year.  Throughout the 1982 season, Ryan and Steve Carlton were battling to surpass Walter Johnson's all-time strike-out record.  Ryan finally took the top spot with his 3,059th K.  Carlton would pass the original record two weeks later.  In 1987, Ryan, at the age of 40, led the league in ERA (2.76) and strikouts (270), but ended up with a 8-16 record because of poor run support from his teammates.

Due to a contract dispute, Ryan left the Astros after the 1988 season and signed with the Texas Rangers.  On August 22, 1989, Nolan Ryan struck out his 5,000th batter.  In June 11, 1990, he threw his sixth career no-hitter and earned his 300th win on July 31.  On May 1, 1991, Ryan hurled his seventh and final no-hitter at the age of 44. 

Prior to opening day of 1993, Ryan announced that he would be retiring at the conclusion of the season.  On August 4, Ryan participated in one of the most memorable fights in baseball history.  Ryan beaned the Chicago White Sox's Robin Ventura, which prompted him to charge the mound against Ryan, who was twenty years older.  When Ventura reach the mound, Ryan put him in a headlock and pummeled his perfectly-coiffed head six times before catcher Ivan Rodriguez intervened.  Ryan later quipped that it was the same maneuver he used on the cattle he had to brand at his ranch.  Ventura was ejected from the game and Ryan ended up pitching hitless ball the remainder of the game.

Nolan Ryan's career ended up coming to a close two games earlier than he had planned when he tore a ligament in his arm on September 22, 1993.  Though he initially tried to play through the pain, it soon became unbearable.  He threw his final pitch, torn ligament and all, at 98 mph.  Ryan closed out his career pitching in a major league-leading 27 seasons.

After his retirement, Nolan Ryan purchased interest in two minor league ball clubs:  the Corpus Christi Hooks (in AA Texas League) and the Round Rock Express (in AAA Pacific Coast League).  Ryan also served as special assistant to the general manager of the Houston Astros, and then became president of the Texas Rangers in 2008.  He has co-written six books, three of which are autobiographies, one about contemporary pitchers, and two instructional books.  In addition to his ownership in minor league teams, he was also majority owner and chairman of Express Bank of Alvin, though he sold his interest in 2005.  He also owns a restaurant, served on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, and appeared as a spokesman for Advil.

He has also joined the federal government in promoting physical fitness, though he himself suffered a heart attack in 2000 and had to receive a double bypass.  His sons, Reid and Reese both pitched for the TCU Horned Frogs, and Reid pitched in the minor leagues for a brief time.  They have recently become part-owners with Nolan of the Round Rock Express and Corpus Christi Hooks.  Nolan currently lives in Georgetown, Texas with his wife.