Ryan, Nolan (1947—)

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Ryan, Nolan (1947—)

Nolan Ryan was the greatest power pitcher of his era, and certainly the greatest pitcher never to win the Cy Young award. His blazing fastball (consistently measured in excess of 100 miles per hour) and intensity on the mound made him one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history. His extraordinary work ethic and perseverance became legendary, and his ability to strike out opposing batters made him a role model for thousands of aspiring pitchers. Consigned to playing on mediocre teams for his entire career, Ryan still managed to win 324 games, throw seven no-hitters, and strike out over 5,700 batters in his 27 years in the majors.

Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. was born January 31, 1947, in Refugio, Texas, the youngest of six children. He grew up playing Little League baseball under his father's coaching, and later played in high school. It was in high school that a New York Mets scout saw him pitch and signed him to play rookie ball in Virginia.

Early in his career, Ryan's flaming fastball caused many problems. Although he could throw the ball with astonishing velocity, he had little control over where it would actually go. This lack of control translated into a large number of walks and hit batters, and the Mets kept him pitching in middle relief for most of the time he was with the team. In 1969, Ryan made his first appearance in the World Series as a reliever, earning a save in game three.

Although he clearly had the arm to be a major league pitcher, Ryan's poor control became an increasingly big problem for the Mets and in 1971, after four years with the team, he was traded with three other players to the California Angels. It was with the Angels that Ryan began realizing his potential. As a member of the pitching rotation from 1972 to 1979, he threw four no-hitters, compiled a 138-123 won-lost record (far better than the team's overall winning percentage), and set the single-season strikeout record in 1973 with 383. Although Ryan liked pitching for California, he wanted to return to his home state of Texas, and he signed a contract with the Houston Astros for the then record-breaking sum of $1 million per year.

In Houston, Ryan consistently ranked among the league leaders in strikeouts and pitched his record fifth no-hitter in 1981. In 1987, he became the first pitcher to lead the league in earned-run average and strikeouts without winning the Cy Young Award for pitching. This snub was probably due to his record of eight wins and 16 losses, a consequence of the Astros' anemic offense. In 10 of his 16 losses, the Astros scored two or fewer runs. In 1988, at the age of 40, Ryan was asked to take a pay cut by the Astros, but he preferred to leave them rather than accept the cut and signed with the Texas Rangers.

With the Rangers, Ryan earned his 300th win, his 5000th strikeout, and tossed his sixth and seventh no-hitters (no-hitters being previously unthinkable for a pitcher of his age). During his tenure with the Rangers, he finally gained recognition for his astounding achievements, with baseball fans and writers at last recognizing his phenomenal athleticism and perseverance as he approached the end of his career. His amazing conditioning regimen and natural physical gifts allowed Ryan to continue to pitch effectively well past the age of 40, and he reached the status of the "Grand Old Man" of the game of baseball.

The 1992 and 1993 seasons were full of injuries, and Nolan Ryan retired from the game he had served on the field for 27 years. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, his first year of eligibility. His uniform numbers have been retired by the Angels, the Astros, and the Rangers.

—Geoff Peterson