Nolan Ryan Biography

Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr., nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and chief executive officer of the Texas Rangers. He is currently an executive adviser to the owner of the Houston Astros.

During a major league record 27-year baseball career, he pitched for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Ryan, a hard-throwing, right-handed pitcher, threw pitches that were regularly recorded above 100 miles per hour. The high velocity remained throughout his career, even into his 40s. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.

While his lifetime winning percentage was .526, Ryan was an eight-time MLB All-Star, and his 5,714 career strikeouts rank first in baseball history by a significant margin. He leads the runner-up, Randy Johnson, by 839 strikeouts. Similarly, Ryan's 2,795 bases on balls lead second-place Steve Carlton by 962—walking over 50% more hitters than any other pitcher in Major League history. Source: Wikipedia

Marriages

• 1967-06-25
  MLB pitcher Nolan Ryan (20) weds his high school sweetheart Ruth Holdorff (18)

Nolan Ryan Timeline

• 1973-05-15
  California Angel Nolan Ryan's 1st no-hitter beats KC Royals, 3-0
• 1973-07-15
  California Angel Nolan Ryan 2nd no-hitter beats Detroit Tigers, 6-0
• 1973-09-27
  Nolan Ryan strikes out 16 in 11 innings, for record 383 of season
• 1974-06-14
  Angels' Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 Red Sox in 12 innings
• 1974-08-12
  Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 & walks only 2 as Angels top Red Sox, 4-2
• 1974-08-20
  Nolan Ryan pitch measured at record 161.6 kph (100.4 mph)
• 1974-09-28
  California Angel Nolan Ryan 3rd no-hitter beats Minn Twin, 4-0
• 1974-10-30
  California Angel Nolan Ryan throws fastest recorded pitch (100.9 MPH)
• 1975-06-01
  California Angel Nolan Ryan 4th no-hitter beats Balt Orioles, 1-0
• 1975-06-06
  Nolan Ryan's bid for 2nd no-hitter broken in 6th inning
• 1977-06-08
  Nolan Ryan notches his 4th career 19-strikeout game
• 1977-08-28
  Nolan Ryan strikes out 300 batters for 5th straight year
• 1978-04-24
  Angels Nolan Ryan strikes out 15 Mariners, 20th time he has 15 in game
• 1979-07-13
  Calif's Nolan Ryan & Boston's Steve Renko each lose no-hitters in 9th
• 1979-11-19
  Astros sign Nolan Ryan, to record 4 year, $4.5 million contract
• 1980-07-04
  Nolan Ryan is 4th to strikeout 3,000
• 1981-06-05
  Astro's Nolan Ryan passes Early Wynn as all-time walk leader (1,777)
• 1981-09-25
  Nolan Ryan's 5th career no-hitter as Astros beat Dodgers 5-0
• 1983-04-17
  Nolan Ryan strikes out his 3,500th batter
• 1983-04-27
  Nolan Ryan becomes strikeout king (3,509), passing Walter Johnson
• 1983-06-07
  Steve Carlton temporarily passes Nolan Ryan with his 3,552 strike out
• 1983-07-27
  Gaylord Perry joins Nolan Ryan & Steve Carlton to reach 3,500 career strikeouts this season, he also wins his 1st game as a Royal
• 1985-07-11
  Astros' Nolan Ryan, 1st to strike out 4000 (Mets' Danny Heep)
• 1987-08-29
  Nolan Ryan passes the 200-strikeout barrier for record 11th time
• 1987-09-09
  Nolan Ryan strikes out his 4,500th batter
• 1988-07-09
  Nolan Ryan is 7th to win 100 game on 2 teams, as Astro beat Mets 6-3
• 1988-12-07
  Rangers sign free-agent pitcher Nolan Ryan to a one-year contract
• 1989-04-23
  Nolan Ryan blows a no hitter in 9th inning
• 1989-06-03
  Nolan Ryan pitches his 2nd one-hitter this season & 11th overall
• 1989-06-14
  Nolan Ryan becomes 2nd pitcher to defeat all 26 teams
• 1989-08-22
  Nolan Ryan strikes out his 5,000th batter (Rickey Henderson)
• 1989-09-30
  Nolan Ryan's perfect game broken in 8th, but gets his 300th strikeout
• 1990-04-26
  Nolan Ryan ties Bob Feller's record of pitching 12 1-hitters
• 1990-06-11
  Nolan Ryan pitches his 6th no-hitter beating Oakland, in 9th he retires Ken Phelps, Rickey Henderson & Willie Randolph (all ex Yanks)
• 1990-07-31
  Nolan Ryan becomes 20th major league pitcher to win 300 games
• 1991-05-01
  Texas Ranger Nolan Ryan pitches record 7th no hitter (beats Toronto 3-0)
• 1991-07-07
  Nolan Ryan possible 8th no-hitter ends in the 8th inning
• 1991-09-12
  Nolan Ryan's 4-3 victory over Twins is his 312th career win
• 1992-07-26
  Nolan Ryan strikes out his 100th batter for 23rd consecutive seasons
• 1993-08-15
  Nolan Ryan, 324th & final victory, Rangers 4, Indians 1
• 1993-09-22
  Nolan Ryan, 46, pitches his last game
• 1996-09-15
  Texas Rangers retire their 1st number, Nolan Ryan's #34
• 1996-09-29
  Houston Astro's retire Nolan Ryan's #34

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