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Nolan Ryan

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Ryan's signature

Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (Ryan Express)

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
High School Alvin High School
Debut September 11, 1966
Final Game September 22, 1993
Born January 31, 1947 in Refugio, TX USA

Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1999

BR page

1 Biographical Information
2 Family Life
3 Notable Achievements
4 Records Held
5 Related Sites

[edit] Biographical Information

Nolan Ryan was a Hall of Fame pitcher and strikeout artist who was always much more popular with average fans than he was with baseball stat experts. His 324 victories were impressive, but his .526 winning percentage and 292 losses were not. His 5714 strikeouts were impressive, but his lifetime 112 ERA+ is less impressive ("ERA+" is a way to comparing how he did compared to the league, taking into account park factors), since an ERA+ of 112 puts Ryan well below the top 100 pitchers of all time. The most similar player to Ryan is Steve Carlton, but Carlton had roughly the same number of victories while posting 50 fewer losses.

Ryan in 1983.

Nolan recorded a save in Game 3 of the 1969 World Series while pitching for the New York Mets. This is the only World Series game in which he appeared. He was signed by the Mets and developed as one of a number of great young hurlers who hit their stride in the Miracle Mets season of 1969, along with Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Gary Gentry. However, Ryan was traded to the California Angels for infielder Jim Fregosi in a deal bitterly regretted by Mets fans before the 1972 season and became a star on the West Coast. In 1973, Ryan eclipsed Sandy Koufax's single season record for strikeouts, recording 383, a mark which still stands. It was also the first year of the designated hitter. He often struggled to control his blazing fastball, resulting in him being the all-time wild pitches leader with 277; he also led the league in wild pitches 6 times, and would regularly lead the league in bases on balls. His control improved as he got older, but his fastball remained among the best in baseball well into his fourties. He could still throw hard when he retired, but he was bothered by leg and hip injuries after pitching 27 seasons in the majors.

Nolan Ryan is the only player to have his number retired by three clubs. His #30 is retired by the Angels. #34 is retired by the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. Of course, Jackie Robinson's #42 is retired throughout professional baseball. Ryan was the first player to have played for the four original expansion franchises (Angels, Astros, Mets, Senators/Rangers). Darren Oliver joined him in 2007. His warm up music between innings while on the mound was "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John & Kiki Dee.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 5, 1999 by the Baseball Writers Association of America. His first baseball card appearance was in the 1968 Topps set.

"Some guys throw hard, but not every pitch like him. He does it for nine innings. I think he has got to be the biggest superman in the league." - Tony Oliva, 1973

Ryan as shown in the Fitness Guide

After retiring his uniform, Ryan promoted physical fitness. His likeness has been used in the "Nolan Ryan Fitness Guide", published by the The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1994. He then returned to the game of baseball first as a minor league team owner, creating the Round Rock Express of the Texas League in 2000. The venture was a huge success, and the team moved up to the AAA Pacific Coast League in 2005. Ryan was then hired by Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks to serve as team president in 2008. He was also involved in on-field decisions in this capacity, pushing for a different approach to pitching that would favor hurlers who can pitch deep into the game. The team's pitching improved significantly in 2009 after years of mediocrity, although this may have been merely a coincidence. In late 2008, Hicks's business fortunes suffered a serious downturn with the economic crisis that hit the United States and he put the team up for sale a few months later. Ryan and Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg headed a consortium of business persons who purchased the franchise on January 23, 2010, with Ryan continuing as team President.

[edit] Family Life

His wife's name is Ruth, and his three children are Reid, Reese and Wendy. ^[1]

Nolan Ryan threw a record seven no-hitters on the following dates:
- May 15, 1973, vs. Kansas City: California 3, Kansas City 0
- July 15, 1973, vs. Detroit: California 6, Kansas City 0
- September 28, 1974, vs. Minnesota: California 6, Minnesota 0
- June 1, 1975, vs. Baltimore: California 1, Baltimore 0
- September 26, 1981, vs. Los Angeles: Houston 5, Los Angeles 0
- June 11, 1990, vs. Oakland: Texas 5, Oakland 0
- May 1, 1991, vs. Toronto: Texas 3, Toronto 0

The no-hitter in 1981 set the major league record for no-hitters.

[edit] Notable Achievements

8-time All-Star (1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985 & 1989)
2-time NL ERA Leader (1981 & 1987)
AL Innings Pitched Leader (1974)
11-time League Strikeouts Leader (1972-1974/AL, 1976-1979/AL, 1987/NL, 1988/NL, 1989/AL & 1990/AL)
AL Complete Games Leader (1977)
3-time AL Shutouts Leader (1972, 1976 & 1979)
15 Wins Seasons: 8 (1972-1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982 & 1989)
20 Wins Seasons: 2 (1973 & 1974)
200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 14 (1972-1974, 1976-1980, 1982, 1985 & 1987-1990)
300 Innings Pitched: 2 (1973 & 1974)
200 Strikeouts Seasons: 15 (1972-1974, 1976-1980, 1982, 1985 & 1987-1991)
300 Strikeouts Seasons: 6 (1972-1974, 1976, 1977 & 1989)
Won a World Series with the New York Mets in 1969
Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1999