Nolan Ryan
From BR Bullpen
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (Ryan Express)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
- Debut September 11, 1966
- Final Game September 22, 1993
- Born January 31, 1947 in Refugio, TX USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1999
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[edit] Biographical Information
Nolan Ryan was a Hall of Fame pitcher and strike-out 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 strike-outs 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.
"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
- 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.
- Nolan recorded a save in Game 3 of the 1969 World Series. This is the only World Series game in which he appeared.
- In 1973, Ryan eclipsed Sandy Koufax's single season record for strikeouts, recording 383. It was also the first year of the designated hitter.
- 324 career wins.
- 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.
- Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 5, 1999 by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
- Part owner of the Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League.
- His warm up music between innings while on the mound was "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John & Kiki Dee.
- 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.
- First Baseball Card appearance 1968 Topps
- Gave up Tony Gwynn's 1,000th hit
[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
[edit] Records Held
- Seasons with a win, 26
- Strikeouts, pitcher, career, 5714
- Strikeouts, right-handed pitcher, career, 5714
- Strikeouts, pitcher, season (since 1893), 383, 1973
- Strikeouts, right-handed pitcher, season (since 1893), 383, 1973
- Bases on balls, pitcher, career, 2795
- Bases on balls, right-handed pitcher, career, 2795
- No-hitters, career, 7
- Grand slams allowed, career, 10 (tied)
- Wild pitches, career, 277
- Lowest batting average allowed, pitcher, career (minimum 1500 innings), .204
- Fewest hits per 9 innings, career (minimum 1500 innings), 6.56
- Fewest hits per 9 innings, right-hander, career (minimum 1500 innings), 6.56
- Fewest hits per 9 innings, season, 5.26, 1972
- Fewest hits per 9 innings, right-hander, season, 5.26, 1972
[edit] Related Sites
- The Nolan Ryan Foundation
- Top 100 Angels page Ryan is listed as #2 on the all-time Angels list (as of 09-07-2007)
