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10 Nolan Ryan Records That Will Never Be Broken - Sports King [78] They have three children: Reid, Reese, and Wendy. Ryan was a right-handed pitcher who consistently threw pitches that were clocked above 100 miles per hour (161km/h). With perfect location, it doesn't matter how bad your stuff is. [4] Ryan's family lived in nearby Woodsboro, Texas in Refugio County, until they moved to Alvin, Texas in Brazoria County, when Nolan was six weeks old. Apparently Walter Johnson or Lefty Grove or Satchel Paige weren't good enough. On Friday, Will Sammon of The Athletic released an article about Justin Verlander and how he is still attempting to introduce a changeup into his repertoire at this stage of his career. He has maintained a decades-long friendship with the Bush family, partially due to George W. Bush being a part-owner of the Rangers while Ryan played there. His views on this calmed only once he started running the Rangers and gained a better understanding of the business side of baseball. Fantasy baseball: Which prospects have fantasy value in 2023? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. In the 1980 NLCS versus the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan pitched well in Game 2, leaving the game tied 22 in the seventh (having contributed to both Astros runs with a run scored following a walk, and a sacrifice bunt leading to a run) but again got a no-decision in a game that went extra innings. Opening their 2023 From the beginning of his career to the end, a Nolan Ryan game featured strikeouts, walks, and very few hits.". "In a move that seems both bizarre and yet totally typical, Ryan stepped back out for a curtain call. Copy. WebNolan Ryan of the California Angels pitching. That spilled over into the sportswriting of the day as well. Verlander credited a 2019 meeting with Nolan Ryan as inspiring him to use the pitch more often, which he did before his injuries that caused him The numismatic community subsequently referred to the coin as the "Nolan Ryan dollar. Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Rangers game 10 years ago. Ryan shouted from the mound. But Ryan allowed three consecutive singles before walking in the third run. Absolutely. WebAnswer: Probably not. He appeared as a TV spokesman for Advil for several years, promoting the pain medication he recommended for his own arm. Overall, he was 69 in 1965 with a 4.33 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 120 innings. In fact, even after more than 575 career innings and countless pitches hitting 100-plus mph, he also holds the title this season. Cash's teammate Mickey Stanley commented on facing Ryan that day by saying, "Those were the best pitches I ever heard. WebGet the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about starting pitcher Nolan Ryan on ESPN. Wednesday: Prospects Ryan is one of only three players in history to have his number retired by at least three teams, along with Jackie Robinson (whose number was retired by Major League Baseball) and Frank Robinson. Plate umpire Ron Luciano ordered Cash to go back and get a regulation bat, to which Cash replied, "Why? [35], Ryan's arm gave out in Seattle on September 22, 1993, when he tore a ligament. Bill James focuses on this dichotomy between Ryan's positive and negative statistics. After his retirement in 1993, Ryan served as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Texas Rangers and an executive advisor to the Houston Astros. In 1996 Ryan campaigned on behalf of Ron Paul in the election for Texas's 14th congressional district; his hometown of Alvin was located in the district.[84]. Here's the one prospect we were sure would be your team's next superstar. According to reports at the time, Ryan's fastball clocked 96 mph in the fourth inning and his final pitch to Roberto Alomar clocked 93 mph. ", Royals shortstop Freddie Patek didn't agree with Ryan's self-assessment. He never threw either pitch that much, but it was a little something extra to throw at batters. When he signed his record-setting free-agent deal with the Astros for the 1980 season, making him the first player to earn a $1 million annual salary, his career record was just 167-159. Nolan Ryan became baseball's first pitcher to 'light up the radar at a major league park. [13] In 1967, Ryan pitched three games in relief for the Class AAA Jacksonville Suns, started one game for the Class A Winter Haven Mets and pitched eight games for the Mets team in the Florida Instructional League. Overall, he was 69 in 1965 with a 4.33 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 120 innings. In fact, from the no-hitter through July 19, just over two months of action, he started 16 games, completed 12 of them and threw 135 innings. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He had a league-leading 329 strikeoutsnearly a third more than the AL runner-up, and to that point, the fourth-highest total of the 20th century. Unknown, and un-knowable. [49] After the 2009 season, Ryan and Chuck Greenberg submitted a bid to purchase the Rangers from owner Tom Hicks. After that seventh no-hitter, Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote, "Seven no-hitters and counting. Verlander credited a 2019 meeting with Nolan Ryan as inspiring him to use the pitch more often, which he did before his injuries that caused him All Maddux stats acquired via sbnation.com. "[85][86] Staples, however, lost that race to current Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick of Houston. Sept. 18, 1996 at Tigers. Was he the fastest pitcher ever? The most meme-worthy moments ever for all 30 MLB teams. "Miracle Man," which came out 1992, apparently to capitalize on his peak popularity, is a terrible book. The opposing high bidder was Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Find out more. WebDid Nolan Ryan throw 108 mph? Ryan's last start was his career-worst; he allowed a single, four walks, and a grand slam in the top of the first without recording an out. Rookie Status: "Ryan tried to throw unhittable pitches, one after another, even to weak hitters, even when he was behind in the count," James wrote. Debut: Ryan was used more as a reliever and spot starter by the 1969 Mets. All rights reserved. [20], On December 10, 1971, the 25-year-old Ryan was traded to the California Angels along with pitcher Don Rose, catcher Francisco Estrada, and outfielder Leroy Stanton for shortstop Jim Fregosi (who later managed Ryan in Anaheim). Beer flights. [1] Ryan was unable to crack the Mets' pitching rotation, led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. He is tied with Bob Feller for the most one-hitters, with 12. If you're going to lose, it's sure great to strike out 380 guys. Do you have a blog? How many strikeouts did Nolan Ryan have in his career? On September 26, 1981, Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter, breaking Koufax's mark while becoming the third pitcher to throw a no-hitter in each league. The No. Here's how WBC offenses stack up with MLB's best, Las Vegas prepared to give A's 'better opportunity', Female minor league manager shadows Lovullo, Paxton (hamstring) unlikely for start of season, Jays' Guerrero to miss WBC with inflamed knee, Rangers, LHP Smith agree to 1-year, $1.5M deal, 7 Cubs combine for 1st spring no-no since 2017, Scherzer tries to test pitch clock limits, gets balk. Ryan pitched in 27 games, with 20 starts. Ryan is one of only 29 players in baseball history to have appeared in MLB games in four different decades. Ryan's log of spectacular accomplishments is as thick as Bill Clinton's little black book; his list of flaws and failures is lengthy but dry, and will never make for good reading. All he cared about was playing golf.". Tuesday: Games He went to a two-ball count only twice, and he did not throw a ball in the third or fifth innings. It was deGrom's 33rd career start, and third in 2021, in which he allowed one run or fewer and failed to pick up the win, most in the majors since he made his debut in 2014. Ryan got a no-decision as his Astros lost in 12 innings. Reid also pitched briefly in the minor leagues. I'm not saying he isn't a winner. His brain might explode. If I'm going to lose, I'm going to lose my way. Sam Miller . Though Ryan's strikeouts and no-hitters got him considerable media attention, he did not win over Angels general manager Buzzie Bavasi, who dismissed him as a flashy .500 pitcher (Ryan was 2627 in the last two years he was with the Angels). Did he throw 108 MPH? (Ryan was joined in this category by Darren Oliver, who made his major league debut as Ryan's teammate in September 1993. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Nolan Ryan of the California Angels threw 235 pitches but was not involved in the decision in the Angels 4-3, 15-inning victory over the Boston Red Sox. White Sox manager Gene Lamont vehemently argued this, leading to his own ejection. Umpire Ron Luciano, after first doubling over in laughter, told Cash to get rid of it. 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 MLB history. [64] In another column, Neyer, while stating that Ryan belonged in the Hall of Fame, pointed to Ryan's record-breaking walks total and noted that his .309 on-base percentage against "wasn't even close to being in the top 100". He did not have a reputation as a headhunter, said retired MLB umpire Larry Young. Dakota Hudson walked 86 batters in 2019, most in the majors. On July 11, 1985, Ryan struck out Danny Heep for his 4,000th career strikeout.[31]. ANNAPOLIS, Md. During that 32-game season in the spring of 1965, Ryan pitched in 27 games, starting 20, and finished with 12 complete games, 211 strikeouts, and only 61 walks. He never did anything to enhance himself physically. He struck out more batters than anybody, walked more batters than anybody, was the hardest to hit, threw the most wild pitches, made the most errors, allowed the most stolen bases, threw the most pitches, pitched the most no-hitters and never, ever gave in to a batter. After the champagne, after all the interviews, Ryan headed off to his usual postgame ritual: He rode the exercise bike. [50] Although Texas oil magnates Ray Davis and Bob Simpson served as co-chairmen and held larger stakes, Ryan became the undisputed head of the franchise, with Davis and Simpson serving mostly as senior consultants. According to researcher Terry Cullen, Cobb hit .366 in his career off Johnson (120-for-328) -- pretty amazing considering Cobb's average against all pitchers was .366. Nolan Ryan became baseball's first pitcher to 'light up the radar at a major league park. "He's like a child prodigy. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. On April 12, in his second start of the season, he allowed one hit in eight innings and struck out 15. Near the end of Ryan's career, the evaluation shifted. He was the first pitcher ever to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning Good morning, Mets fans! You can't even comprehend what it's like to be that talented [but] he tries to intimidate people. So maybe you could call him stubborn. That started a careerlong dedication to conditioning. Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. ", His way. Oscar turned to me and said, 'A good night tonight is 0-for-4 and don't get hit in the head. [1] Ryan had 15 or more strikeouts in a game 26 times, second only to Randy Johnson, who had 28. That's exactly how I picture Ryan. While Ventura was ejected, Ryanwho had barely moved from his spot on the mound in the fracaswas allowed to remain in the game. In 1965, after graduating from Alvin, Ryan was drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1965 Major League Baseball draft, with the 295th overall pick. Ryan has co-written six books: autobiographies Miracle Man (with Jerry Jenkins, 1992), Throwing Heat (with Harvey Frommer, 1988) and The Road to Cooperstown (with Mickey Herskowitz and T.R. Nolan Ryan played for 4 teams; the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. Redshirt sophomore righthander Ryan Brown made a pair of relief appearances for the Cardinals at the Swig & Swine College Classic in Charleston, South Carolina. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton were clearly better, and Phil Niekro (who also never won a Cy Young Award) and Gaylord Perry were probably better. Ryan is the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher. Aerosmith drummer puts Austin-area luxury home up for sale", "The Antiwar, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Drug-Enforcement-Administration, Anti-Medicare Candidacy of Dr.Ron Paul", "PRESS RELEASE: Nolan Ryan to Serve as Statewide Chairman for Staples", American League Pitcher of the Year Award, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nolan_Ryan&oldid=1141250556, Major League Baseball players with retired numbers, American chief executives of professional sports organizations, Florida Instructional League Mets players, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2021, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with incomplete citations from April 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, September 11,1966,for theNew York Mets, September 22,1993,for theTexas Rangers, Lowest career batting average allowed (minimum 1,500 innings pitched): .204, 26 career 15+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, 36 career 14+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, 56 career 13+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, 95 career 12+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, 151 career 11+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, 3 19+ strikeout games, single season (1974), 3 18+ strikeout games, single season (1974), 3 17+ strikeout games, single season (1974), 3 16+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, single season (1972, 1974), 6 15+ strikeout games, single season (1974 - tied with, 15 12+ strikeout games, single season (1973), 18 11+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, single season (1973), 23 10+ strikeout games, single season (1973 - tied with, 26 9+ strikeout games, single season (1973), 29 8+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, single season (1973), 32 7+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, single season (1973), 36 6+ strikeout games, single season (1974 - tied with, 6.55 hits per nine innings pitched, career, minimum 1,000 innings (next-fewest is, 5.26 single-season hits per nine innings (1972), Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 03:23. A wave, a grim smile, and he was gone.". Senior captain Nate Mitchell registered a career-high seven strikeouts in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader, but the Navy baseball team fell to Massachusetts, 4-2, in the series opener before dropping the back half of the twinbill by a 14-3 score at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. ", Reggie Jackson: "You don't face Ryan without your rest. How many teams has Nolan Ryan played for? I'm not sure how he would function in the modern world of analytics. We present them here for purely educational purposes. "[24] Ryan threw two no-hitters in 1973. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. It was Ryan's second and last career postseason win. This exceeded an earlier pitch by Bob Feller which was measured at 98.6 miles per hour (158.7km/h) at home plate and previously thought to be the fastest pitch ever recorded.[29]. Maybe his niche is 383 strikeouts. On April 7, 2011, Todd Staples announced that Nolan Ryan would be his statewide chairman for his exploratory committee for lieutenant governor. Just throw it down the middle, they won't hit it anyway. [8][9] Ryan held the school's single game strikeout record for 44 years, striking out 21 hitters in a 7-inning game. Strikeouts are only a part of his dominance, but in just 1,260 career innings, the 65 righty already has 1,161 strikeouts and is pitching no-hitters like hes Nolan Ryan. Emblematic of this, his 1974 no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins included eight walks. After finding a legitimate piece of lumber to use, Cash popped out and Ryan had the no-hitter. I could feel every minute of these 44 years.". Singer was close to no-hitter a month earlier, pitching 7 2/3 hitless innings against Atlanta on June 23. [80], Nolan frequently pitched in the off-seasons, with Ruth often donning catching gear and serving as his catcher. Ryan had curbed some of the wildness from his Angels days, but would still throw what today looks like an ungodly number of pitches: a season high of 164, seven In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan left trailing 30 and took the loss. Though Ryan's actual winning percentage hovered only slightly over .500, his strikeouts and no-hitters brought him media attention. Of his 122 pitches, 83 were strikes. Those Angels teams in the early and mid-1970s were woeful offensive clubs, finishing last or next-to-last in the American League in runs scored each season from 1972 to 1976. Alvin head coach Jim Watson and the other players on the 65 team described Ryans senior year performance with the same term: wheel horse. Ryan would go on to [17], In five seasons with the Mets, 105 games and 74 starts, Ryan had a 2938 record, with a 3.58 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, with 344 walks and 493 strikeouts in 511 innings. Ryan led the American League in strikeouts seven times during his eight seasons with the Angels, but he also led the league in walks in six of those years, and finished second the other two seasons: 1975 and 1979. Sullivan, 1999); Kings of the Hill (with Mickey Herskowitz, 1992), about contemporary pitchers; and instructional books Pitching and Hitting (with Joe Torre and Joel Cohen, 1977), and Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible (with Tom House, 1991). January 31, 1947 Four of his five highest strikeout rates -- percentage of batters faced whom he struck out -- came in 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991. In his first season with the Angels, Ryan was given a chance to pitch regularly as a starter for the first time in his career, mainly because by then he had fulfilled his military obligation and no longer had to commute to Houston every other week. It was his record-setting 10th grand slam given up of his career. The marquee advertised: 'Nolan Ryan versus the Cleveland Indians.' ), In 1973, Ryan set his first major record when he struck out 383 batters in one season, beating Sandy Koufax's old mark by one. Ryan had curbed some of the wildness from his Angels days, but would still throw what today looks like an ungodly number of pitches: a season high of 164, seven games of 140-plus and 16 of 130-plus. Not so much. Major League Baseball pitcher for 27 seasons, with the New York Mets, the California Angels, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. Other contemporaries of Ryan also have cases that they were better than him. He had been saving it for a World Series celebration. That intense focus on every pitch. September 11, 1966 That season, his 1.69 ERA won the National League ERA title.[1]. In those seven games, Ryan accumulated a total of 94 strikeouts and 26 walks; a ratio of 3.6 strikeouts per walk (his career K:BB was 2.0). Home. When he was traded to the Angels in 1971, he discovered a weight room at Anaheim Stadium -- although he said it wasn't for the Angels, as baseball players were discouraged at the time from lifting weights (he wasn't sure who was it built for, suggesting maybe a soccer team). On August 6, 1992, Ryan had the only ejection of his career when he was ejected after engaging in a shouting match with Oakland Athletics outfielder Willie Wilson with two outs in the eighth inning. To Knepper's point, Ryan offers an anecdote about Pete Rose going up to him and asking him what pitch Mike Schmidt hit for a home run or some guy who had gone 2-for-3 two weeks ago. "I hurt from the moment I got out of bed 'til the moment I walked out to the mound," Ryan said after the game. In 2011, he was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame. Ryan got his third taste of postseason play in 1980, but the Astros were stopped one game short of the World Series. Pitching 13 innings against the Boston Red Sox on June 14, 1974, Ryan threw 235 pitches, striking out 19, walking 10 and getting a no-decision. "I never honestly felt I was the type of pitcher to pitch a no-hitter," Ryan suggested after the game. The final game of Ryan's career. He averaged 10.57 strikeouts per nine innings that season. [13], When Ryan was called up by the New York Mets in 1966, he was the second-youngest player in the league. (Voted by BBWAA on 491/497 ballots) But his good mechanics allowed him to bounce back from them. Through 12 innings, both pitchers remained in the game. [53] On October 17, 2013, Ryan announced that he was stepping down as Rangers CEO effective October 31, 2013. Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 NLDS, Ryan threw a complete game 2-hitter in the opener, outlasting the Dodgers' rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela. In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan and the Astros held a 52 lead entering the 8th inning. Meanwhile, Fregosi failed to produce as a Met, making no significant contribution to the Mets' 1973 pennant-winning campaign; he was sold to the Texas Rangers mid-season. Mark Vientos demolishes a breaking ball off the batter's eye in center field for a massive 469-foot three-run home run. Oh, and he threw another no-hitter. After 5,386 innings, 5,714 strikeouts and an estimated 34,500 pitches, Ryan's elbow ligament had finally snapped. Harold Reynolds led off the game with base hit, the only one of the game for Seattle. In the minds of many, Ryan had become the best pitcher of all time, conflating Ryan's particular achievements -- the strikeouts, the no-hitters, the longevity -- with other measurements of greatness. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. It was Ryan's only World Series appearance in his career. On November 19, 1979, Nolan Ryan became the first million-dollar player when he signed a four-year free-agent contract with the Houston Astros for $4.5 million (equivalent to $16.8million in 2021). Perhaps the most interesting aspect to the no-hitter was that Royals manager Jack McKeon had protested the game in the third inning, arguing that Ryan was illegally lifting his foot off the pitching rubber during his delivery. A one-hitter with 16 strikeouts. Exceeded rookie limits during 1968 season, View Player Bio To put it another way, in 2019 Gerrit Cole struck out 326 batters in 212 innings. he asked. For Ryan, there was no cutting corners. 12,523rd in major league history) Senior captain Nate Mitchell registered a career-high seven strikeouts in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader, but the Navy baseball team fell to Massachusetts, 4-2, in the series opener before dropping the back half of the twinbill by a 14-3 score at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. I did not order the cookbook, but did pick up the two most recent biographies, hoping to find some insight. Roger Clemens became the first pitcher with a 20-strikeout game in 1986. But Greinke struck BL-2664-73 (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library) Whether Ryan saw this as an achievement or not, his fourth career hitless game, delivered in front of a crowd of 18,492 at Anaheim Stadium on June 1, 1975 - tying him with Sandy Koufax as the only hurler to throw four no-hit games. One of a kind? Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton were clearly better, and Phil Niekro (who also never won a Cy Young Award) and Gaylord Perry were probably better. "[32] His 4,999th and 5,001st strikeouts were against the same man, Athletics catcher Ron Hassey. In a sense, that was understandable. Ryan struck out 17 in his no-hitter on July 15, 1973, versus Detroit and walked eight in his subsequent no-hitter against Minnesota, both respective highs for his no-hitters. Nolan Ryan pitched 5386 innings in his career. We were teammates on Cleveland and driving past Anaheim Stadium. Randy Johnson is second with 839 fewer strikeouts. [47] Ryan suffered a heart attack on April 25, 2000, and had to receive a double coronary bypass.[48]. In 1987, Ryan led the major leagues in both ERA (2.76) and strikeouts (270) at the age of 40, but finished 816 as the result of extremely poor run support; the Astros scored a total of 27 runs in his 16 lossesan average of 1.69 runs per game. He hasnt looked particularly sharp. Tigers first baseman and cleanup hitter Norm Cash came to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, having already struck out twice, and was carrying a clubhouse table leg instead of a bat. April 29, 1986, was perhaps the date when the Rocket truly launched. It was the first of two homers in Ryan's career and produced half of the six RBIs he got that year. [54], On February 11, 2014, Ryan accepted a position as an executive adviser for the Houston Astros under owner Jim Crane. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. "He's throwing the ball harder than any man I ever saw in my life," first baseman John Mayberry said. He fanned 383 batters in 1973, breaking Sandy Koufax's modern record. You feel like you can hear the grunting. It takes incredible concentration.". [52], During the baseball owners' meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, on March 1, 2013, the Rangers announced that general manager Jon Daniels would add president of baseball operations to his title. [46] He also owned a restaurant in Three Rivers, Texas. Ryan has written, by a quick accounting, at least four autobiographies, plus a pitcher's guide to performance written with his Rangers pitching coach Tom House, plus the "Nolan Ryan Beef & Barbecue Cookbook." The Oakland A's are in Las Vegas this week for a preseason series, and talk of a potential move to Nevada has gained momentum, with Don Logan, president of the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, telling ESPN, "Las Vegas offers a dynamic that no other team has.". Do you have a sports website? Best Answer. As a young boy, Nolan enjoyed throwing objects at any target. In some way, perhaps, it was also acknowledging that gift of maybe the fastest fastball ever. He wasnt even a top 3 pitcher in his own era. "In the face of overwhelming criticism," Kornheiser wrote, "he persists: His way is the right way." I tried to figure out what, exactly, made Ryan into this pitcher. I decided that if there was any way to keep that from happening, I was going to do it.". In 1990, Ryan threw his sixth no-hitter on June 11 against the Athletics, and earned his 300th win on July 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. But thats a fairly recent measuring stick in Major League Baseball. He maintained this velocity throughout his pitching career. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. In Tony Kornheiser's profile of Ryan in the inaugural edition of Inside Sports magazine heading into that season --- Ryan was the cover subject -- Jim Palmer, Ryan's contemporary, threw a pointed barb. On Friday, Will Sammon of The Athletic released an article about Justin Verlander and how he is still attempting to introduce a changeup into his repertoire at this stage of his career. Ryan did change, however, at least a little. Ryan pitched well for the Mets in the 1969 postseason. [30] The normally light-hitting Ryan got his Houston years started with a bang in a nationally televised game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 12, 1980, when he hit a three-run home run off Don Sutton. Legendary, dominating, historically wild? A primitive radar gun clocked a ninth-inning fastball at 100.8 miles per hour (162.2km/h) when it was 10 feet (3.0m) in front of home plate. In 1966, Ryan pitched for the Class A Greenville Mets of the Western Carolinas League, WebNolan Ryan made history by becoming the first to throw five no-hitters, on Sept. 26, 1981.