Nolan Ryan with his blazing fastball struck-out more batters, 5,717, than anyone in baseball history. He pitched a record seven no-hitters during his 27 year career that spanned from 1967-1993. Ryan pitched for the N. Y. Mets from 1967-1971 and appeared in his only World Series as a reliever, pitching 2 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. He was traded to the California Angels on December 10, 1971. Nolan Ryan blossomed into one of baseball's top right-handed pitchers and in his 8 seasons with the Angels he led the league in strikeouts seven times. And five times during this period he fanned over 300 batters in a single season. In 1973, Nolan Ryan struck-out a major league record 383, beating Sandy Koufax old mark of 382. Twice in his long career, Ryan won over 20 games, including going 22-16 in 1974. He signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros in 1980 and helped them win two consecutive Division Titles. In 1989, he signed with the Texas Rangers and ranked near the top in the league in ERA, in innings pitched and again led the league in K's. Here's an amazing stat: Nolan Ryan retired with the lowest opponents batting average in baseball history, .204. He walked 2,795 batters in 5,386 innings which raised his on-base-pct up to .309. Nolan Ryan's career stats: 324 Wins, 292 Loses, .526 pct, 3.19 ERA, He pitched in 807 games, starting 773, completed 222, with 61 shutouts, allowed 321 lifetime home runs, struck-out 5,714, more than one per/inning. Nolan Ryan received the most votes from baseball's fans as the top 'Pitcher of the Century'. We salute your record achievements. View our Ebay store to purchase Nolan Ryan autographed memorabilia. |