Nolan Ryan

At 77 years old, Nolan Ryan physical status not available right now. We will update Nolan Ryan's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Amateur career

Ryan played baseball for all of his high school years at Alvin High School. Ryan defeated 21 hitters in a 7-inning game, setting a single game strikeout record for 44 years. Aaron Stewart and Josh Landin of Alvin High School tied the record last week in 2009.

Red Murff, a Scout for the New York Mets, first noticed sophomore pitcher Ryan at an Alvin High School game in League City, Texas. Coach Watson told Murff that some opponents refused to bat against Ryan, and that his hard pitches might sometimes break bones in his catchers' hands. Murff's most recent report to the Mets was that Ryan had "the best arm I've seen in my life." Ryan was later drafted by the Mets.

Ryan had a 19–3 record as a senior in 1965 and led the Alvin Yellow Jackets to the Texas high school state championships. Ryan played in 27 games with 20 of them starting. He played 12 complete games, with 211 strikeouts and 61 walks.

Professional playing career

Ryan was drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1965 Major League Baseball draft, placing him in second place overall.

Ryan signed with the Mets and immediately pitched for the Marion Mets in the Appalachian League and the Mets team in the Florida Instructional League. He was 6-9 in 1965 with a 4.33 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 120 innings.

Ryan played for the Class A Greenville Mets of the Western Carolinas League in 1966, where he went 17–2 with a 2.51 ERA and 272 strikeouts in 183 innings. He was then promoted to the Class AA Williamsport Mets of the Eastern League, where he was 0–2 with a 0.9 ERA, taking out 35 batters in 19 innings. In 202 minor league innings in 1966, Ryan had 307 strikeouts, earning him a late-season call-up to the New York Mets.

Ryan played three games in relief for the Class AAA Jacksonville Suns, appeared in one game against the Class A Winter Haven Mets, and played eight games for the Mets team in the Florida Instructional League in 1967. In 1967, Ryan had 54 strikeouts in 34 total innings.

When Ryan was called up by the New York Mets in 1966, he was the second-youngest player in the league. Pat Jarvis was his first strikeout in just two games, and he gave up his first major league home run to Joe Torre.

Ryan missed a large portion of the 1967 season due to sickness, arm injury, and Army Reserve service; he pitched only seven innings for the Mets' minor league affiliate in Jacksonville; Ryan made his way back to the major leagues in 1968, where he remained until his release in 1993. Ryan was unable to crack the Mets' pitching rotation, led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. By the 1969 Mets, Ryan was more used as a reliever and spot starter. He often soaked his fingers in pickle brine to resolve frequent blisters on his throwing hand, but Ryan's colleagues and coaches doubted the procedure's efficacy, but the method's effectiveness was doubted.

In the 1969 offseason, Ryan pitched for the Mets. Ryan won Game 3 against the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS for his first playoff victory (it took him 12 years to get another). Ryan saved Game 3 by pitching 2+13 shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series. The Mets took the lead in the Series, which they went on to win in five games in Game 3. It was Ryan's first appearance in a World Series appearance in his career.

Ryan tied a Mets record by striking out 15 batters in a single game on April 18, 1970. Seaver, Ryan's colleague, won a then-MLB record 19 against the San Diego Padres four days later (though Ryan tied this record four years later). Ryan has credited his time with Seaver and the Mets with turning him from a flamethrower to a pitcher.

In the second half of Ryan's season with the Mets, his results plummeted dramatically. His earned run average for the first half of the 1971 season was 2.24; in the second half, it was 7.74. This was the first half of a starting pitcher in MLB history as of 2021.

Ryan did not want to be cut from the Mets, and when he did, he felt trayed by the team that drafted him. His thoughts on this came only after he started coaching the Rangers and gained a better understanding of baseball's business side.

Ryan had a 29-38 record in five seasons with 105 games and 74 starts, with a 3.58 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, with 344 walks and 493 strikeouts in 511 innings.

Ryan, a 25-year-old Ryan, was traded to the California Angels along with pitcher Don Rose, catcher Francisco Estrada, and outfielder Leroy Stanton for shortstop Jim Fregosi (who later managed Ryan in Anaheim). The agreement has been described as one of the worst in Mets history, but it was not viewed as unreasonable at the time, considering Ryan's high success as a Met and Fregosi.

Ryan was given the opportunity to pitch as a starter for the first time in his career, mainly because by then, he had fulfilled his military service and no longer had to travel to Houston every other week. He had a league-leading 329 strikeouts, nearly a third more than the AL runner-up and his fourth-highest total of the twentieth century. Ryan's fourth-highest strikeout total in five seasons was his fourth highest strikeout total within five seasons. He also set a new franchise record by allowing only 5.26 hits per nine innings, beating Luis Tiant's 5.30 in 1968, as well as a 2.9 earned run average that year, trailing only Dean Chance's 1.65 in 1964. Despite Ryan's real winning percentage hovered just over.500, his strikeouts and no-hitters caught his media attention. Fregosi, on the other hand, struggled to produce as a Met in 1973, losing no significant role to the Mets' pennant-winning season; he was sold to the Texas Rangers mid-season.

Despite the fact that the Angels were a sub-500 team and remained a part of his time, Ryan continued to win some titles, including 19–16 in 1972, 21–16 in 1973, and 22–16 in 1974 (the Angels franchise record was tied by Clyde Wright in 1970). He came in second place in the Cy Young polling (losing to Jim Palmer 88–62) in 1973. It was the first time he had appeared in the Cy Young election. In 1976, Ryan was the league's worst loser, falling one win shy of the franchise's record. Many teams used a four-man rotation and awaited the starter to complete the game; therefore, most games ended in a draw.

Ryan struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 3–0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on July 9, 1972; he became the seventh American League pitcher to do the immaculate inning and the first pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat in both leagues. (In the second inning of a 2–1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on April 19, 1968, he had struck out three batters on nine pitches, becoming the eighth National League pitcher and the 14th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat.)

Ryan set his first major record in 1973 when he struck out 383 batters in one season, beating Sandy Koufax's old record by one. Koufax joked, "Yeah, and he even beat my total base on balls in a single season by 91." I suspect half of those guys swung rather than being struck out. In 1973, Ryan had two no-hitters. He struck out 17 batters in the second round, the most in a recorded no-hitter. (This record was later tied by Max Scherzer on October 3, 2015). Ryan was so dominant in this game that it resulted in one of baseball's best-remembered pranks. Norm Cash, the Tigers' first baseman and cleanup hitter, came out two outs in the bottom of the ninth, having already struck out twice and carrying a clubhouse table leg rather than a bat. Cash was ordered to return and get a regulation bat, which Cash replied, "Why?"

I won't hit him anyway!"

Cash did eventually make contact with a regulation bat in hand, but it was too late to call the game out. "Those were the best pitches I've ever heard," Cash's teammate Mickey Stanley wrote on facing Ryan that day.

On June 14, 1974, Ryan threw 235 runs against the Boston Red Sox, striking out 19, walking 10 and getting a no-decision.

Ryan became the first Major League pitcher to have his pitch speed measured during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Anaheim Stadium on September 7, 1974. When it was 10 feet (3.0 m) in front of a home plate, a primitive radar gun clocked a ninth-inning fastball (162.2 km/h) in the ninth inning fastball. This was faster pitch ever recorded than Bob Feller's earlier pitch, which was measured at 98.6 miles per hour (158.7 km/h) at home plate and then reported as the fastest pitch ever recorded.

Ryan recorded his third no-hitter in 1974 and a fourth in 1975, tying another of Koufax's records. He twice struck out 19 batters in 1974, tying Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton for the single-game record for a nine-inning match. Roger Clemens was the first pitcher to play out in 1986 with a 20-strike out game.

In Ryan's eighth and final year with the California Angels, they made the playoffs for the eighth and final year since 1979. He started Game 1 of the ALCS and threw seven innings against the Orioles' Jim Palmer, but neither man was involved in the decision when Baltimore defeated in the 10th inning. Ryan had been scheduled to pitch Game 5, but the Angels were not able to do so in four. Ryan became a free agent after the season ended.

During his eight seasons with the Angels, Ryan led the league in strikes seven times, but he also finished second in six of those years: 1975 and 1979. Ryan is the only man since 1900 to walk 200 batters in a season, apart from Bob Feller in 1938. Emblematic of this, his 1974 no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins included eight walks.

Despite Ryan's strikeouts and no-hitters drew swarms of media attention, he did not win over Angels general manager Buzzie Bavasi, who characterized him as a flashy.500 pitcher (Ryan was 26–27 in his two years with the Angels).

Ryan was 138–121, a 3.07 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, with 1,302 walks and 2,416 strikeouts in 2181 innings, with 2,416 strikeouts in 2181 innings, including 156 complete games.

Nolan Ryan made history by completing a four-year free-agent contract with the Houston Astros on November 19, 1979 (equivalent to $16.8 million in 2021). He had been making more money with the California Angels than he had expected. In a nationally broadcast game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 12, 1980, the usual light-hitting Ryan got his Houston career off to a bang. It was the first of two homers in Ryan's career, and it had half of the six RBIs he got that year. Ryan fired out his 3,000th strikeout of the Cincinnati Reds on July 4, the perpetrator being Bob Gibson's 3,000th strikeout survivor (1974). Ryan enjoyed his third appearance in postseason play in 1980, but the Astros were cut one game shy of the World Series.

Ryan pitched well in Game 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980, leaving the game tied 2–2 in the seventh (after contributing to both Astros runs with a walk and a sacrifice bunt leading to a run), but there was also a no-decision in a game that went extra innings. Ryan and the Astros had a 5–2 lead going into the 8th inning in the fifth and final game of the series. In the third run, Ryan was allowed three straight singles before deciding to walk. The Houston bullpen aided the Philadelphia Phillies to lead by 7-5, but only after a game-tying Astro rally helped Ryan to recover from the loss.

Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter on September 26, 1981, defeating Koufax's record while becoming the third pitcher in each league to throw a no-hitter. He earned the National League ERA championship last season in a season of 1.69.

In the 1981 NLDS, Ryan threw a complete game 2-hitter in the opener, outlasting the Dodgers' rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela. It was Ryan's second and last postseason victory. Ryan was left trailing 3–0 in the fifth and final game of the series and took the loss.

Both Ryan and Steve Carlton were approaching Walter Johnson's all-time strikeout record, with some of them surpassing one another's career totals in successive starts by the 1982 season. Ryan won the contest against Brad Mills of the Montreal Expos on April 27, 1983. (Carlton reached the same rate two weeks after Ryan, though Gaylord Perry did so later this season.) Ryan struck out Danny Heep for his 4,000th career strikeout on July 11, 1985.

In 1986, Ryan's Astros faced the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series. In Game 2, Ryan was off to a rocky start, losing by the end. He returned to action in Game 5 with a 2-hit, 1-run, 12-strike out ball, but one of those hits, Darryl Strawberry home run, tied the game at 1, as Dwight Gooden matched Ryan pitch for pitch. Ryan was left out in 12 innings after his Astros lost in 12 innings.

At the age of 40, Ryan led the major leagues in both ERA (2.76) and strikeouts (270) but the Astros finished 8–16 as a result of poor run support; the Astros gained a total of 27 runs in his 16 games, an average of 1.69 runs per game. Despite his.333 winning percentage, Ryan landed fifth in the 1987 Cy Young Awards for 5th place. In a 12–3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on May 1, 1987, Ryan won his second and last home run in his career.

Ryan set a 106–94 record in 282 starts, a 3.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 1.20 WHIP, with 796 walks and 1,866 strikeouts in 1,854 innings in nine seasons as a pitcher with the Astros.

Following the 1988 season, Ryan left Houston after a labor dispute and signed with the Texas Rangers at age 42. He was the first player to play for all four MLB original expansion teams: the Mets, Angels, Houston Colt.45s/ Astros, and Washington Senators/Texas Rangers. (Ryan was included in this category by Darren Oliver, who made his major league debut as Ryan's teammate in September 1993.) Bob Oliver, Oliver's father, was also a teammate of Ryan's from 1972 to 1974.) In 1989, he went 16–10 and led the league with 301 strikeouts. On August 22, Ryan struck out Rickey Henderson to become the only pitcher to reach 5,000 strikeouts against the Oakland Athletics. Henderson was quoted as saying, "If he hasn't struck you out, he won't kill you out," he said later in the game. Ron Hassey, the Athletics' catcher, was the subject of his 4,999th and 5,001st strikeouts. Ryan, 44, placed fifth in the league in ERA (2.91) and third in strikeouts (203).

Ryan threw his sixth no-hitter against the Athletics on June 11, his sixth no-hitter, and he won his 300th match against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 31. Ryan extended his record by tossing out Roberto Alomar of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final out on May 1, 1991 at the age of 44. When Ryan was suspended after playing a yel of his career, he was outstripped by two outs in the eighth inning, killing Willie Wilson with two outs.

Ryan announced that he would retire as a player at the end of the 1993 season. Ryan had yet another high-profile moment on August 4, this time in an on-the-moment fight. Ventura charged Ryan with a pitch after hitting Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox with a pitch in order to punish Ryan, who was 20 years old. Ryan fought Ventura with his left arm, while Ventura's head was pummeling Ventura's head six times before catcher Iván Rodrn was able to distract Ventura from Ryan. It was the same tactic he used on steers he had to brand on his Texas ranch that Ryan explained later. Any evening, videos of the incident were broadcast around the world. Although Ventura was ejected, Ryan, who had barely moved from his spot on the mound in the fracas, was allowed to stay in the game. Gene Lamont, the White Sox's manager, vehemently denied this, resulting in his own dismissal. The majority of the time, Ryan played a hitless ball game. Since starting out on the wrong side of an altercation with Dave Winfield in 1980, he had been determined to be more aggressive.

When Ryan tore a ligament in Seattle on September 22, 1993, he was forced to leave the city. At age 46, the boy's career ended two years earlier than anticipated. Ryan tried to pitch through the injury, but he threw one more pitch after breaking his ligaments. His final pitch was measured at 98 miles per hour (158 km/h) with his injured arm. Ryan's last appearance was his career-worst; he allowed a single, four walks, and a grand slam in the top of the first without a single word being recorded. It was his record-breaking 10th grand slam given up of his career. (Ryan left trailing 5–0, and a reliever's fourth walk was completed by a narrator following Ryan's illness, but credit goes to Ryan.) On September 17, 1993, Greg Myers of the California Angels was the last strikeout survivor of Nolan Ryan's career.

Ryan played in a major league record 27 seasons during his career. He was the last active player from the 1960s to retire from Major League Baseball, outlasting Carlton Fisk (the final active position player) by three months.

Ryan had a 51-39 record, a 3.43 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, with 353 walks and 939 strikeouts in 840 innings, out of 129, with 353 starts.

During his major league career, Ryan threw a record seven no-hitters, three more than any other pitcher. The no-hitters lasted for three decades of pitching. Ryan played in 94 strikeouts and 26 walks in those seven games, a total of 94 strikeouts and 26 walks, with a strikeouts per walk of 3.6 (his career K:BB was 2.0). Ryan struck out 17 in his no-hitter against Detroit on July 15, 1973, and he walked eight in his subsequent no-hitter against Minnesota, both highs for his no-hitters.

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