Nolan Ryan (1999)


Date of Birth: 1/31/1947
Birthplace: Refugio, Texas

Nolan Ryan started playing baseball with his father at the age of seven. By the time he was nine, he was on a Little League baseball team. He was a star pitcher on his high school team, and he was known for all the strikes he pitched. In his senior year, he won 19 games and lost 3. He pitched in 27 games, 20 as a starting pitcher, and he pitched 12 complete games. He struck out 211 batters that year, while walking just 61.

New York Mets

The New York Mets drafted Ryan on June 8, 1965. He played in the minor leagues in his first year and he pitched in just two games for the Mets in 1966. The next year he didn't play due to illness, injuries, and US Army reserve duty.

In 1968, Ryan pitched in 21 games with the Mets. He had 6 wins and 9 losses, 133 strikeouts to 75 walks, and a 3.09 ERA in 134.0 innings. He didn't play as well the next season when he had a 3.54 ERA in 25 games. He finished the 1969 season with 6 wins and 3 losses, and 92 strikeouts to 53 walks in 89.0 innings.

Ryan continued to struggle in 1970, when he had a 3.41 ERA, and in 1971, when he had a 3.97 ERA. He had a 7-11 record and 125 strikeouts to 97 walks in 132.0 innings in 27 games in 1970, and a 10-14 record and 137 strikeouts to 116 walks in 152.0 innings in 30 games in 1971.

California Angels

After the 1971 season, Ryan asked to be traded and on December 10, 1971, the Mets granted him his wish and traded him to the California Angels. The move turned out to be a good one for both the Angels and Ryan as he became a key part of their starting rotation.

In 1972, Ryan led the American League in strikeouts with 329 (to 157 walks). He had 19 wins and 16 losses and a 2.28 ERA in 284.0 innings in 39 games. The next year, he was again the league leader in strikeouts with a career high of 383 (to 162 walks). Ryan would go on to lead the American League in strikeouts seven more times (1974, 1976-1979, 1989, 1990). He finished the 1973 season with 21 wins and 16 losses and a 2.87 ERA in 326.0 innings in 41 games.

Ryan led the AL in innings pitched and in strikeouts in 1974. He had career highs in games played (42), innings pitched (333.0), and wins (22 to 16 losses). He had a 2.89 ERA and 367 strikeouts to 202 walks. The following season, he pitched in only 28 games and he had a 3.45 ERA. He finished the 1975 season with 14 wins and 12 losses and 186 strikeouts to 132 walks in 198.0 innings.

Ryan again led the AL in strikeouts in 1976. That year, he had 17 wins and 18 losses, 327 strikeouts to 183 walks, and a 3.36 ERA in 284.0 innings in 39 games.

Ryan was named the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 1977, and he led the AL in strikeouts and complete games. He had 19 wins and 16 losses, 341 strikeouts to 204 walks, and a 2.77 ERA in 299.0 innings in 37 games. He pitched 22 complete games that year.

In 1978 and 1979, Ryan again led the AL in strikeouts (260 to 148 walks in 1978, and 223 to 114 walks in 1979). He had a 3.71 ERA and 10 wins and 13 losses in 235.0 innings in 31 games in 1978. The next year, he had 16 wins and 14 losses and a 3.59 ERA in 223.0 innings in 34 games.

Houston Astros

After eight successful years with the Angels, Ryan became a free agent on November 1, 1979. He then signed with the Houston Astros on November 19th. He didn't have a great first season with Houston, finishing the 1980 season with 11 wins and 10 losses, 200 strikeouts to 98 walks, and a 3.35 ERA in 234.0 innings in 35 games.

In the strike shortened 1981 season, Ryan led the NL in ERA with a career low of 1.69. He had 11 wins and 5 losses and 140 strikeouts to 68 walks in 149.0 innings in 21 games. The following year, his ERA went up to 3.16 in 35 games. He finished the 1982 season with 16 wins and 12 losses in 250.1 innings. He struck out 245 batters and he walked 109.

Ryan's ERA bounced up and down from 1983 through 1986, starting at a low of 2.98 in 1983, going to 3.04 in 1984, then to a high of 3.80 in 1985, and back down to 3.34 in 1986. The most wins he had during those seasons was 14 (to 9 losses) in 1983. He had 12 wins and 11 losses in 1984, 10 wins and 12 losses in 1985, and 12 wins and 8 losses in 1986. He had under 200 strikeouts every year except for 1985, when he had 209 to 95 walks. He had a low of 183 strikeouts (to 101 walks) in 1983, 197 strikeouts to 69 walks in 1984, and 194 strikeouts to 82 walks in 1986. He pitched under 200 innings and in 30 or fewer games in each year except for 1985 (196.1 innings in 29 games in 1983, 183.2 innings in 30 games in 1984, and 178.0 innings in 30 games in 1986). He pitched 232.0 innings in 35 games in 1985.

Ryan led the NL in ERA and in strikeouts in 1987. He had 8 wins and 16 losses, 270 strikeouts to 87 walks, and a 2.76 ERA in 211.2 innings in 34 games. The next season, he again led the NL in strikeouts with 228 (to 87 walks). He finished the 1988 season with 12 wins and 11 losses and a 3.52 ERA in 220.0 innings in 33 games.

Texas Rangers

Ryan became a free agent on November 4, 1988. A month later, on December 7th, he signed with the Texas Rangers. In his first two seasons with the Rangers, he led the AL in strikeouts. He finished the 1989 season with 16 wins and 10 losses, 301 strikeouts to 98 walks, and a 3.20 ERA in 239.1 innings in 32 games. The next season, he had a 13-9 record, 232 strikeouts to 74 walks, and a 3.44 ERA in 204.0 innings in 30 games.

Ryan's ERA dropped to 2.91 in 1991. He had 12 wins and 6 losses and 203 strikeouts to 72 walks in 173.0 innings in 27 games. He pitched again in 27 games in 1992, and he had a 5-9 record, 157 strikeouts to 69 walks, and a 3.72 ERA in 157.1 innings.

In 1993, his last season as a major league player, Ryan pitched just 66.1 innings in 13 games. He had 5 wins and 5 losses and a 4.88 ERA.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Sporting News Pitcher of the Year
  • MLB record for most career no hitters (7)
  • MLB record for most career strikeouts (5,714)
  • Led NL in ERA (2 times)
  • Led AL in strikeouts (9 times)
  • Led NL in strikeouts (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Ryan in 26 seasons (1968-1993) in the major leagues include:

  • 15 seasons with over 200 strikeouts, with a high of 383 in 1973
  • 8 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.69 in 1981
  • 2 seasons with 20 or more wins, with a high of 22 wins in 1974
  • 14 seasons with 200 or more innings pitched, with a high of 333.0 in 1974

Career pitching statistics for Ryan include:

  • 807 games played
  • 5,387.0 innings pitched
  • 324-292 win-loss record
  • 5,714 strikeouts to 2,795 walks
  • 3.19 ERA

Postseason statistics for Ryan include:

  • 5 postseasons
  • 9 games played
  • 58.0 innings pitched
  • 2-2 win-loss record
  • 1 save
  • 63 strikeouts to 14 walks
  • 3.10 ERA

Post Playing Career

Ryan has stayed very involved in baseball since retiring as a player. He is the owner of two minor league teams and president and partial owner of the Texas Rangers.

In addition to his baseball enterprises, Ryan has co-authored six books, owns a restaurant, and was a member of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission from 1995 through 2001.

Ryan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999 on the first ballot with 98.8% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Nolan Ryan
ESPN - Nolan Ryan
Baseball Reference - Nolan Ryan
SABR - Nolan Ryan

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