Ryan Pressly

Thomas Ryan Pressly

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 3", Weight 205 lb.
High School Edward S. Marcus High School
Debut April 4, 2013
Final Game July 29, 2025
Born December 15, 1988 in Dallas, TX USA

Biographical Information[edit]

Ryan Pressly made his major league debut in 2013.

Pressly was picked by the Boston Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2007 amateur draft, between Justin De Fratus and Brad Emaus. The scout was Jim Robinson. He was 1-4 with a 3.79 ERA in his pro debut for the 2008 GCL Red Sox. In 2009, the right-hander improved to 6-4, 3.12 for the Lowell Spinners and fanned 64 in 59 2/3 IP. He tied for 8th in the New York-Penn League in wins. He allowed one run in three innings in the playoffs.

Ryan was 5-7 with a 3.72 ERA for the 2010 Greenville Drive, finishing 7th in the Red Sox chain in ERA. In 2011, the 22-year-old had a 6-11, 4.50 record for the Salem Red Sox, tying him for 6th in the Carolina League in losses; he was also fourth in runs allowed (84), tied for 8th in earned runs (65), tied for second in hit batsmen (13) and tied for 7th in wild pitches (11). The next season, he appeared for both Salem (5-3, 6.28 in 20 G) and the Portland Sea Dogs (2-2, 2.93 in 14 G). He held righties to a .190 average but lefties hit .293. In the fall, he had a save, 18 strikeouts in 14 innings and a 3.86 ERA for the Surprise Saguaros.

The Minnesota Twins took him with the fourth pick of the 2012 Rule V Draft, following fellow hurlers Josh Fields, Hector Rondon and Daniel Rosenbaum. He made the team out of spring training and had his first major league appearance with the Twins on April 4, 2013, facing the Detroit Tigers. He pitched the 9th inning as his team's seventh hurler of the game, giving up a single to the first batter he faced, Omar Infante, but then retiring the next three, including Torii Hunter on strikes, to complete a 9-2 win.

Pressly recorded a win in back-to-back relief appearances against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 30-31, 2015. Both were one-run wins as the Twins were surprisingly hanging on to first place in the AL Central. He went 3-2, 2.93 in 27 appearances that in season, then in 2016 was 6-7, 3.70 with his first major league save in 72 appearances for the last-place Twins. His ERA rose for the fourth straight season in 2017, when he was 2-3, 4.70 in 57 games, but the Twins bounced back to a winning record and a spot in the Wild Card Game. He struck out 61 batters in 61 1/3 innings, but was not used in the game, which the Twins lost to the New York Yankees. In 2018 he improved to 1-1, 3.40 over his first 51 outings. He had 69 strikeouts in just 47 2/3 innings and with the team virtually out of postseason contention by the trading deadline, was sent on July 27th to the Houston Astros in return for two minor leaguers, Jorge Alcala and Gilberto Celestino. He was outstanding for Houston, putting up an ERA of 0.77 in 26 games. In 2019, he set a major league record when he made his 39th consecutive scoreless outing, dating back to the previous year, on May 17th. He surpassed Craig Kimbrel, who had made 38 consecutive appearances without giving up a run for the 2011 Atlanta Braves. He extended the streak by one more game, to 40 before finally surrendering a run on May 24th - the only run he surrendered over 24 outings in the first two months of the season. He finished the year at 2-3, 2.32 with 3 saves and was named to the All-Star team for the first time that season.

Furing the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he pitched 23 times for Houston, going 1-3, 3.43 with 12 saves in 23 outings. He was a busy man in the postseason, making 7 appearances over three rounds of play and picking up 1 win and 4 saves. In 2021, he was an All-Star for the second time as he went 5-3, 2.25 in 74 games, with 26 saves. He allowed just 49 hits and 13 walks in 64 innings, while striking out 81 batters. He got to pitch in the World Series again as he made 9 appearances in the postseason, totalling 9 2/3 innings. In contrast to 2021, he only had one decision a save against the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS, but still pitched very well, giving up just 1 run on 6 hits and striking out 14 batters.

On June 25, 2022, he earned his 15th save of the season when he pitched the final inning of a 3-0 win against the New York Yankees, completing a combined no-hitter that was started by Cristian Javier, who pitched the first 7 innings, and continued by his usual set-up man, Héctor Neris, who handled the 8th. Ryan retired the three batters he faced in order to complete the feat. He finished the year at 3-3, 2.98 in 50 games, with a career-high 33 saves. In 48 133 innings, he compiled 65 strikeouts while walking only 13 batters. He was outstanding in the postseason, picking up a total of four saves as the Astros breezed through the Division Series and ALCS, sweeping the Seattle Mariners and the Yankees in order. In Game 4 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on November 2nd, he was once again called on to pitch the bottom of the 9th with a no-hitter on the line. Once again, Javier had been outstanding as the starting pitcher, tossing off six hitless innings, and Bryan Abreu and Rafael Montero had followed with a perfect inning each. He completed the momentous feat by striking out Brandon Marsh to start the inning, then after Kyle Schwarber had worked a walk to become the Phils' first baserunner since the 3rd inning, he got Rhys Hoskins to fly out to right and J.T. Realmuto to ground out to third to end the game, a 5-0 win that evened the series at two wins apiece. It was only the second no-hitter in World Series history, after Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, and the third postseason no-hitter overall. By completing both no-hitter, he became the first pitcher - along with Javier - to be part of two combined no-hitters, and both had come in the same season.

In 2023 he went 4-5, 3.58 in 65 games and saved 31 games as the Astros' closer, while striking out 74 batters in 65 2/3 innings. He was outstanding in the postseason, not giving up a run in 5 outings totaling 6 innings, while picking up a win and three saves. However, the Astros failed to return to the World Series, as they were defeated by their cross-state rivals the Texas Rangers in an ALCS that went to the limit. His ERA during the season had been his highest since 2017, which may have raised concerns with the Astros' brass and explain why the team splurged by signing another proven closer, Josh Hader, to a huge contract during the offseason. That resulted in a change of role for Pressly, who was now a set-up man in 2024. Apart from recording just 4 saves, the rest of his numbers were consistent with is recent seasons, as he finished at 2-3, 3.49 in 59 games, with 58 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. However, he was roughed up in his only postseason appearance, which came in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Detroit Tigers on October 2nd: he came in to start the 8th inning with the Astros holding a 2-1 lead, but after striking out Parker Meadows, he gave up back-to-back singles, a wild pitch which tied the score, and after another strikeout, a walk. Hader was summoned to replace him, but he gave up another walk and a double to Andy Ibanez, and by the time the inning ended, the Tigers were leading, 5-2, and would go on to win the game and the series.

Realizing that they did not need two potential closers as part of a very loaded bullpen, the Astros set about looking to trade Pressly following the 2024 season. The problem was that he had a no-trade clause in his contract, which still had a year to go, and he nixed a proposed trade to the Chicago Cubs in January of 2025. However, because the two teams were adamant in going forward with the deal, they put some more pressure on Ryan, who agreed to waive the clause on January 26th to allow a trade to go ahead, in return for the Cubs agreeing to offer him a contract extension. The two teams now needed to agree on who would head to Houston to complete the deal, while Pressly had regained a spot as a major league closer. On January 28th, the trade was made official, with the Astros receiving pitching prospect Juan Bello in return for Pressly.

An unabashed country music fan, he uses Johnny Cash's song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" as his entrance music as the Astros' closer. He had earlier used Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places", but picked up the Johnny Cash classic from his former Twins teammate Glen Perkins and decided to use it after Perkins retired.

He announced his retirement in Januarys of 2026.

Source: 2013 Twins Media Guide

Notable Achievements[edit]

2-time AL All-Star (2019 & 2021)
AL Games Pitched Leader (2018)
30 saves Seasons: 2 (2022 & 2023)
Won one World Series with the Houston Astros in 2022

Related Sites[edit]

Ryan Pressly on mlb.com

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Ryan Pressly

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