For a man who pitched in 27 seasons and holds 53 major league records, pinning down one memory may not be easy. Forgive Nolan Ryan if he can't choose between the two he cites: pitching for the 1969 Mets, his only World Series championship, and winning a duel with Rickey Henderson for his 5,000th career strikeout.
The time between those two events says it all about Ryan, who was throwing just as hard to Henderson in that memorable confrontation Aug. 22, 1989, at age 42 as he had 20 years earlier against the Braves and Orioles in postseason play.
"I got as much satisfaction on a personal basis from the longevity of my career and the fact I was able to maintain my style of pitching until the very end," Ryan said.
Unlike so many power pitchers who in their declining years rely more on guile, Ryan maintained the heat on his fastball, once clocked at more than 100 mph, to remain an intimidating figure. Just as Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax achieved greatness when they were able to blend in breaking pitches, Ryan went from thrower to pitcher once he gained control of a curve and changeup. But the effectiveness of those pitches was due to every batter's wariness of a fastball that could barely be seen, let alone struck.
"You couldn't be a guess hitter against Ryan," former infielder Bob Bailor said. "Even in breaking ball counts, you had to be conscious of that fastball. You couldn't afford to make a mistake because there was always the possibility you could land up in a hospital bed if you guessed wrong."
Ryan was a mysterious figure when he came up with the Mets, a tall, quiet Texan with a first name (Lynn) he did not use. He preferred his middle name, the first two letters of which were somehow appropriate for a man who went on to pitch seven no-hitters.
"Nolan was the only guy in baseball who every time he took the mound was capable of throwing a no-hitter," Pete Rose once said.
After one of his no-hitters, Pete Incaviglia, then an outfielder with the Rangers, said, "He pitched a whale of a game, but Nolan has pitched a lot of whale-of-a-games."
As is the case with many hard throwers, Ryan battled wildness early in his career. The '69 postseason was in a way a coming of age. His own teammates were stunned when Mets manager Gil Hodges brought Ryan into Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Braves to relieve Gary Gentry in the third inning with none out, runners on second and third and a 1-and-2 count on Rico Carty.
"We were down 2-0, and the game could have really gotten out of hand at that point," said former Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson, who stood on the mound with Hodges and catcher Jerry Grote waiting for Ryan. "Gil took quite a chance bringing in Nolie, who was really wild in those days. When he gave the ball to Nolie, Gil looked at the runners on base and said, 'Well, you should be familiar with this situation.' Then he just walked back to the dugout."
Ryan got a called third strike against Carty with a 98 mph fastball. After an intentional walk to Orlando Cepeda, who will go into the Hall of Fame with Ryan Sunday, Ryan struck out Clete Boyer and retired Bob Didier on a fly ball. The Mets took the lead in the fifth, and Ryan's seven-inning performance helped them into their first World Series. Against the Orioles, Ryan earned a save in Game 3 with 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
Ryan would earn his reputation elsewhere, however, after the Mets traded him to the Angels. Starting regularly, Ryan found his niche in the American League. He was 19-13 and led the AL in strikeouts with 329 in 1972, his first year in Anaheim, then went 21-16 with two no- hitters and a record 383 strikeouts in 1973, the first season of the DH.
That same year, Hall of Fame classmate George Brett broke into the majors and faced Ryan for the first time.
"I batted seventh, behind Jim Wohlford," Brett said. "Nolan hit Jim in the ribs and the ball seemed to stick there for a minute before it fell to the ground. Jim was trying to breathe, and he couldn't. Then I came up and took three pitches, three strikes. That was good enough for me."
Mets manager Bobby Valentine played center field behind Ryan in the first of his no- hitters and was his manager for the last two, with Texas. Valentine agreed with Ryan that the 5,000th strikeout, in a game against Oakland, was a memorable event.
"Arlington Stadium was jammed, and it seemed everyone had a camera," Valentine said. "When the count got to 3-and-2, the sense of anticipation was tremendous. Here Nolan was with 4,999 strikeouts and a full count on Rickey. Everybody in the place figured this was the pitch. When Nolan let go of the ball, the cameras flashed. I remember being taken aback, as if hit by a bolt of lightning. At the plate, Rickey somehow got a piece of the pitch, a 95mph fastball, and fouled it off.
"Nolan stepped behind the rubber and held the new ball in his glove for a moment. It was his way of acknowledging to Rickey the respect he had for him for fouling off an unhittable pitch under unhittable circumstances. Nolan then stepped back onto the rubber and came in with another 95 mph fastball and got Rickey swinging."
In the end, the man known for heat put the heat on himself.
"I always wanted my teammates to feel that on the night I pitched, we had a chance to win the ballgame, and that I was going to give it my best effort, whatever it was that night, to help us win that ballgame," Ryan said. "And I always wanted the fans to feel when they walked out of the ballpark on the night I pitched that they were glad they came and they felt like it was worth their effort and expense to come to the ballgame. And I really strived to be consistent in my performances. I always felt that as a professional, the one thing you strive for is consistency."
Nothing Times Seven: Ryan's No-Hitters
Date Site Score IP H R ER BB K
May 15, 1973 Kanas City Angels 3, Royals 0 9 0 0 0 3 12
July 15, 1973 Detroit Angels 6, Tigers 0 9 0 0 0 4 17
Sept. 28, 1974 California Angels 4, Twins 0 9 0 0 0 8 15
June 1, 1975 California Angels 1, Orioles 0 9 0 0 0 4 9
Sept. 26, 1981 Houston Astros 5, Dodgers 0 9 0 0 0 3 11
June 11, 1990 Oakland Rangers 5, A's 0 9 0 0 0 2 14
May 1, 1991 Texas Rangers 3, Blue Jays 0 9 0 0 0 2 16
* His 5, 714 strikeouts are 1,578 ahead of second-place Steve Carlton
* .204 batting average against is the lowest all-time ( Sandy Koufax second at .205)
* His 12 one-hit games tie Bob Feller's career record.
The Express Way
Regular Season
Year Team W L SO ERA
1966 Mets 0 1 6 15.00
1968 Mets 6 9 133 3.09
1969 Mets 6 3 92 3.54
1970 Mets 7 11 125 3.41
1971 Mets 10 14 137 3.97
1972 Angels 19 16 329 2.28
1973 Angels 21 16 383 2.87
1974 Angels 22 16 367 2.89
1975 Angels 14 12 186 3.45
1976 Angels 17 18 327 3.36
1977 Angels 19 16 341 2.77
1978 Angels 10 13 260 3.71
1979 Angels 16 14 223 3.59
1980 Astros 11 10 200 3.35
1981 Astros 11 5 140 1.69
1982 Astros 16 12 245 3.16
1983 Astros 14 9 183 2.98
1984 Astros 12 11 197 3.05
1985 Astros 10 12 209 3.80
1986 Astros 12 8 194 3.34
1987 Astros 8 16 270 2.76
1988 Astros 12 11 228 3.52
1989 Rangers 16 10 301 3.20
1990 Rangers 13 9 232 3.44
1991 Rangers 12 6 203 2.91
1992 Rangers 5 9 157 3.83
1993 Rangers 5 5 46 4.88
Totals 324 292 5714 3.19
Division Series
Yr Opp G/S IP W-L ERA
1981 Dodgers 2/2 15 1-1 1.80
League Championship Series
1969 Braves 1/0 7 1-0 2.57
1979 Orioles 1/1 7 0-0 1.29
1980 Phillies 2/2 13 1/3 0-0 5.40
1986 Mets 2/2 14 0-1 3.86
Totals 6/5 41 1/3 1-1 3.70
World Series
1969 Orioles 1/0 2 1/3 0-0 0.00