Nolan Ryan

Categories: Sports | Baseball | Athletes | MLB Players

  • Nolan Ryan is a retired Major League pitcher who played for four teams—the New York Mets, Houston Astros, California Angels, and Texas Rangers—during his record 27-season career in the majors. Ryan currently serves as team president of the Texas Rangers.

  • Fast Facts:

    1. Born: January 31, 1947 in Refugio, Texas
    2. Birth name: Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr.
    3. Played for the New York Mets, Houston Astros, California Angels and the Texas Rangers
    4. Never won a Cy Young Award
    5. Other than Jackie Robinson he is the only person to have his number retired by 3 teams
    6. Pitched a record breaking 27 seasons from 1966-1993
    7. Career average of 3.19 ERA and 5714 strikeouts
    8. Threw 7 no-hitters in his career

  • Early Career

    Ryan began pitching for the Mets in 1966, and was part of the 1969 team that won the World Series, although his role was limited. In his first two full seasons as a starting pitcher, in 1970 and 1971, Ryan had a losing record both times and struggled with his control. In 1972, Ryan was traded to the California Angels, and it was with the Angels that he turned into the dominant pitcher he became. In 1972, he was named to his first of nine all-star teams, and led the American League in strikeouts and shutouts. Ryan would go on to lead his league in strikeouts an incredible eleven more times after 1972, and in 1973 he pitched the first two of his six career no-hitters. That same year, Ryan broke the single-season strikeout record formerly held by Sandy Koufax by fanning 383 hitters.

  • Later Years

    In 1980, Ryan became the first baseball player to be paid more than $1 million when he signed with the Houston Astros as a free agent. In 1989, Ryan joined the Rangers, breaking the career no-hitters mark, also held by Sandy Koufax, with his sixth no-hitter in 1990. That same year, Ryan won his 300th game. In 1993, Ryan tore a ligament in his pitching arm and was forced to retire after 27 seasons in the majors. In 1999, he was overwhelmingly elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2008, Ryan was named team president of the Rangers.

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