Nolan Ryan

Lynn Nolan Ryan (January 31, 1947-) tops a handful of major pitching categories like strikeouts (5,714), walks (2,795) and most notably no-hitters with seven, including two in 1973. Shockingly, The Ryan Express never pitched a perfect game, nor did he win the Cy Young Award. The ultimate power pitcher, Ryan’s deadly fastball were often clocked at over 100 mph. even into his 40s. Nolan pitched 27 years in the big league for the Mets (1966, 1968-1971), the Angels (197201979), the Astros (1980-1988) and the Rangers (1989-1993) where he threw no-hitters in back-to-back seasons in 1990 and 1991 at age 43 and 44, respectively. Arguably the most dominant hurler of his era in either league, Ryan led the league in strikeouts 11 times and strikeouts per 9 innings 12 times at an impressive 9.5 average. Ryan was an eight-time All-Star selection, was a member of the 1969 World Series champion New York Mets and is the only player, other than Jackie Robinson, to have his number retired by three different teams (Angels, Astros, Rangers). Nolan Ryan retired posting a record of 324-292 with 5,714 strikeouts and a career 3.19 earned run average. Lynn Nolan Ryan was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.