No one will ever throw 7 no-hitters and no-one will ever strike out 5,700 hitters. His legend will only grow with every generation, just like Henderson’s.
@@michaelwolf6424Right? 8, 9, 10 potential no hitters. I remember when Nelson Liriano broke up his no-no in the bottom of 9 with 2 out at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Ryan yelled at him all the way to second (I think he hit a double). What a competitor. No one will ever touch his records (all time K’s, K’s in a season, no hitters).
@@jasondousett3620 I grew up in a small rural SW Virginia town in the '60s (Yes, I'm that old). In 1966 that little town became a rookie low A New York Mets farm team. Not long, a tall lanky kid from Alvin, Texas showed up to begin his professional career. It was Nolan Ryan. I saw him throw his very first professional pitch. Probably close to 100 mph. No one used "guns: in those days. He was wild as hell. NO one wanted to dig in when he was on the mound. I think he was 3-6 in that initial year. Three years later he was in the NY Mets roster and in the World Series against the Orioles. The Miracle Mets won it all. . Over a decade later, I was a young filmmaker living in Atlanta after college. The Braves sucked back then. Getting a press pass was easy and I took my 16mm film camera to the old Fulton County stadium to shoot Ryan when the Astros came to the city for a series. Later, in the locker room, I approached him after all the beat reporters left and told him "that I had seen him pitch in his first game in Va." I offered him the footage. In his book years later, he stated that he hated that little podunk town. I did too. He was so polite and humble. He was my pitching idol. A legend to be revered. Anyone whoever saw this man play will never forget the experience. I know you won't.
@@jasondousett3620 And I remember ragging nonstop on Henderson at CNE Stadium when he played LF for the Yankees. We were unmerciful and to be fair, he gave it back to us pretty good. Sadly, I never got to see Nolan Ryan play in person. 2 legitimate Hall of Famers right there.
@@michaelwolf6424 I am not sure what the number is, but I know for a fact he also has the most one-hitters in the history of the game. And I think he also has the most two-hitter games. But, the most impressive fact about Nolan Ryan is that he NEVER EVER won a Cy Young. That baffles everyone's mind; even the mind of legendary players who can't believe he never won one.
@WheelsAlwaysTurning Mariano is the greatest reliever of all-time but post-season success has literally nothing to do with how good an individual player is. No other sport, even football is less dependent on individual players than baseball. You could have a literal god pitcher or hitter and the team would never even make the playoffs. When Ryan even sniffed the post-season he had some great games and bad ones. An elite player is only a small piece of a team. God mode Bonds had an amazing WS but still lost.
@WheelsAlwaysTurning Mariano for as great as he was, especially in the post-season is only a closer that has to pitch one inning. And he isn't even in any of those positions if the team around him wasn't as great as they were, he was only a small piece to the puzzle. The Yankees still likely win the same amount of WS without him and with another good closer, also if you are going to only talk about his "success" don't forget game 7 of the 2001 WS that he blew. Being a starting pitcher has much much more value than a closer. Felix Hernandez never came close to sniffing the playoffs but any smart GM would always take a prime Felix over Rivera. By your logic of post-season success Robert Horry is a better player than MJ, Kobe, and Shaq. I mean he won right?
@WheelsAlwaysTurning Ryan was on mediocre teams. Had Rivera been on those Angels, Astros and Rangers teams, he has no rings. And I'm sure Ryan would have fit in just fine with those Yankees teams
@WheelsAlwaysTurning Mariano Rivera 1283 IP Nolan Ryan 5386 IP…FOH with Rivera is the greatest P in history. Ryan also had 7 no hitters. You Yankee fans are so arrogant
Had Ryan played for the Yankees or the Reds in the 70's or even in the 80s, he wins between 400-500 games.. Who were his cleanup hitters with the Angels? Tony Solita? Dave Chalk? Bruce Bochte? What about in Houston? Terry Puhl? Denny Walling? Andy Ashby? Had Ryan stayed in Anaheim the Angels win the West in '81, '82, '84, '85, '86 and '89 and most likely win the WS in '82 and '86..
He is a different breed, no question. This said, pitchers are creatures of habit and rhythm. He, first, didn't need or care about the glory, but also I'm sure wanted to stay in rhythm.
Ricky Henderson should be included in top ten all around offensive hitters of all time. That guy got into pitchers heads like no other, at the plate, and on the bases.
@Lighthouse in the Storm We'll start with the obvious, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Warren Spahn, Pedro Martinez, Catfish Hunter, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux, Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Ferguson Jenkins, Randy Johnson for starts....
Two of these calls were brutal in my opinion.....the fastball for strike two was off the plate, and that hook that was called as ball 3 was a no doubt strike.....this umpire had to feel the pressure of this moment, like that scene in Naked Gun
@@judahsoremy9857 Not according to most surveys/polls etc. He's probably the greatest strike out pitcher though. This one puts Nolan at #19. bleacherreport.com/articles/1421701-the-50-greatest-starting-pitchers-in-mlb-history
@@VitalityMassage I would ABSOLUTELY reconsider considering anyone who even remotely thinks Nolan Ryan should be ANYWHERE but the top three - bare minimum. If they have him at #19 I'm not even gonna bother seeing the list.
@@raypowers8083 Yeah, Ump gave one back. He had to, he realized he was wrong. It evened out after the foul tip to set up 3-2 and everyone in the stadium knew what was coming. Fastball.
@@crazykev6491 It's important to remember, it was his job to get on base, and then steal bases. He had an unorthodox batting stance, minimizing his strike zone, to help facilitate that.
@@aaronburtram3175 Yeap I remember and grew up in the 80s & 90s. I loved watching Ryan pitch. It’s because of Dwight Gooden, Clemens and Ryan, that I admire pitching over hitting. It’s such an art form
But its jucier than that. On May 1 1991, Ricky Henderson passes Lou Brock for the stolen base record and declares himself, "the greatest of all time." Before the hoopla was over, Nolan Ryan threw his 7th No Hitter, pushing Henderson out of the headlines. Its only fitting Henderson was the 5K victim
I was at this game, Rickey Henderson is in the record books twice. 1) breaking Lew Brocks base stealing record and being Nolan Ryan's 5,000 strike out. With the state of MLB , Nolan's strike out record will never be broken.
Even if pitchers went deeper into games like they used to, this record is probably never getting broken. Nolan pitched for 27 years and he’s second all-time in career starts with 773. Only two active players (Greinke and Verlander) are even over 500 starts.
He was always so reserved. HIstorical moment and he is on the mound like it ain't no thang. He even tells the catcher "you keep it" when offered the historic ball.
I don't think he was telling the catcher to keep it. I think he just said send it on to the dugout; he didn't need to hold it, then. That's my guess anyhow.
I was there! we were sitting in the left field bleachers and Ricky was playing left field. After he struck out and the A’s came back in the field, everyone was razzing Ricky and he said said you don’t understand, I’m in the record book too! Everyone there got a nice certificate .. still have mine.
I'm 6'8" and 40 years old. I pitched through high school. Nolan Ryan was my HERO. Because of him I only wanted to throw GAS. I never learned a curveball or a slider. I used to spend HOURS throwing balls against the hay stacks on our farm. I started pitching in 3rd grade but my control was so "Wild Thing Ricky Vaughn" I never even got to PLAY pitcher until 8th grade. They would always put my in right field. I sucked at right field. I sucked at hitting. But after my growth spurt I was 6'6", 220lbs as a Senior and I could throw in the 90's. I never got any college or pro offers because I had bad control when I would throw hard. I would have to slow my pitches down to 70mph or so to have any decent control. What Nolan Ryan was able to do is the most incredible feat for a Pitcher's career and will never be matched.
@@grantstraub6393 *Ryan also LOST 292 games. No hitters are not a proper argument when you walk the entire ballpark. A perfect game or facing the minimum amount of men (27) in a complete game shutout would be far more impressive. Ryan never did either of those things in his career. Great pitcher, great strikeout pitcher... but not the greatest pitcher ever. His K/BB ratio was average at best.* *These are the next two pitchers on the all-time strikeout list:* *Randy Johnson: 4,875 strikeouts, 1,497 walks.* *Roger Clemens: 4,672 strikeouts, 1,580 walks.* *Those are proper great K/BB ratios. Neither of them were within 1,200 walks of Ryan. Even the next pitcher on the list, Steve Carlton, was close to Ryan's K/BB ratio, but still had a better ratio than Ryan:* *Steve Carlton: 4,136 strikeouts, 1,833 walks.* *So again, Ryan was a great pitcher, but not the greatest pitcher. Not even close.*
@@superbrownbrown while you’re throwing out stats, throw out the median batting average of players against Ryan .204. Or how about his lack of run support his entire career. He lost more games were he gave up 1-2 runs than anybody during his career. You give him a team that could actually produce just a few runs and he would be closer to 400 wins. But haters don’t want to look at those stats.
@@chuckfinley6747 *I don't hate the guy, and what you stated is not invalid (even though it's tough to play "what if")... but nothing you posted explains away 2,795 walks. It also doesn't explain away a .307 OBP against. Better than the MLB average of .322, but the debate isn't about "better than average".*
I remember watching this game I was 9 yrs old, my two favorite players of all time. The greatest base runner of all time with 1,406 stolen bases, and one of the greatest pitchers of all time in my opinion in the Ryan Express. Players like this is what made me love the game and play for 15 years of my life.
@@billyfraiser6298 You bring up a great point. Technology today keeps the umpires honest. Greg Maddox got calls that were six inches off the plate. Completely unhitable. He wouldn't get away with that today.
Nolan Ryan and Rickey Henderson. Two of the most savage competitors in baseball history. I love the grin on Rickey's face when the ump calls that early pitch -- that was just outside -- a strike. Henderson wants to say something, but doesn't. His grin just says, "For crying out loud, the mean son of a bitch doesn't need any help." Then the ump actually gives Rickey a couple of breaks on close pitches. And then the Express strikes him out swinging anyway. And swinging is exactly the way a warrior like Henderson would want it to be. The crowd explodes. Ryan doffs his cap quickly and wants to get right back to business. But . . . not so fast, pal. That was a big deal.
A record unbeatable! Even though batters strike out more than ever, no pitcher throws enough innings to make a challenge. Imagine Ryan pitching today! Sick would be the only word to describe the carnage.
I named my son Nolan! He's one of my favorite pitchers of all time (I'm a Dodgers fan, so I have a lot to choose from) - and 7 no hitters?! Unbelievable.
As a kid in the 80's, im glad i got to watch Nolan Ryan pitch. He is one the best to ever pitch. Along with Sandy Kofax, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Cy Young
My favorite trio was when he was in Houston. The Astros would pitch Ryan one day, Joe Niekro the next day, then J.R. Richard the third day. Two guys bringing it at 100+ mph sandwiched around a knuckleballer. Try gearing up for that in a three game series as a batter 🙂
Great AB by to Hall of Famer's one strike was outside but Ryan's curve that was way underrated buckled Henderson and dropped into the strike zone but fooled the ump also.
Truly a legendary moment in sports. I can remember exactly where I was in that very moment. What a match up Ryan Vs. Henderson. Two baseball legends. What a humble man Nolan Ryan is. He just wanted to keep on pitching. This is one record that will never be broken.
I got a challenge, take a shot every time Nolan Ryan fixed his hat in this video. I also loved how before every throw he would nod his head to Rickey to make sure he was ready.
Yeah, Rickey knew that the ump knew it was a ball as well... but he also knew that it was going to be tough to get calls in his favor at this moment... that's why he was laughing. 🙂
It was 35 Years Ago Today August 22 1989 Nolan Ryan Pitch a 5000th Strikeout For Your Texas Rangers And He Was Pitching For The Same Team From 1989 - 1993 For 5 Years And Seasons Here In North Texas The Dallas Fort Worth Area So Thank You So Much Texas Rangers.
When the catcher comes up to congratulate him, you can read Nolan's lips. "Thank you. One out". Here's a man who doesn't care about the numbers. Just needs to compete...
yeah he didn't say that. he said 'throw it out' meaning throw the ball to the dugout which is why the catcher immediately turned away to toss it into the dugout to hold onto.
Nolan Ryan the greatest power pitcher we've ever seen. So durable pitched into 4 decades. Never had a serious arm problem despite throwing consistently throwing over 120 pitches per game and completing games that he started. It boggles the mind because of how they treat starting pitchers in today's current MLB. We'll never see a power pitcher with this great talent, durability and longevity into his 40's. And a side note, the greatest lead-off hitter of all time was Ryan's 5k strikeout victim just amazing they both played into their almost middle 40's and without using steriods.
if i remember correctly Ryan was a "closet" wieght lifter. Back in the day they wouldn't let pitchers lift. Had to be loose. He realized the importance of strength training earlier than othets.
I hadn't seen that since I watched it on TV that night when I was 16. I thought he got him on the hook at 2-2 but the ump didn't call it. Of course, the 0-1 pitch wasn't a strike, so I guess they were even at that point. Great that he got #5000 against a fellow Hall of Famer and not some scrub, though.
Probably the most true "unbreakable" career record. It's not even in the realm of possibility. There's simply not enough innings to even attempt a chase at this record. The very rules of baseball would have to change to seriously challenge this milestone.
@@AlexSosaBolivia I am a veteran. That flag only represents veterans who died defending it. No cop defends that flag. They only defend their masters. Why are they kneeling. Didn't Abraham Lincoln free the slaves? I guess they are still in bondage. For being so woke, they sure are asleep.
@@mikeglenn5212He never really had any talent at the plate to knock in any runs for him to win any games. Take a look at his teammates stats all those years... not very good OBP (on base percentage) or batting averages.... Besides you're telling me seven no hitters and he's not the best of all time...get real!!!😂
@@BluBlu111 He led the league 8 times in bases on balls, that has nothing to do with his team's lack of offense. He also pitched in a pitcher's park for many years. And yes he did throw 7 no hitters and yes he did win 300 games, but it took him 27 YEARS to do it. He was good, but to say the greatest is a stretch at best.
@@mikeglenn5212 exactly 27 years as a starting pitcher... And he still threw in the mid-90s at the end of his career... But we all have our opinions that's what this is for....lol... take care Mike 👍
LOL, I like Nolan Ryan a lot. But he’s NOWHERE near the greatest of all-time. He’s about 25th in baseball history as pitchers go. And that’s an incredible accomplishment considering how many men have pitched. But he did was never the best pitcher in his league in any season, let alone the best to ever do it.
Nolan Ryan is the greatest undisputed power pitcher of all time. At his best, no pitcher was or is better! Completely overpowering. He got better with age! He is the Texas Lone Ranger! Total class!
This will never be duplicated. Many can't conceive of what it takes to strike out 5,000 major league batters. It even took the great Nolan Ryan, 20 years was it?
Another strange fact: Nolan Ryan played more seasons than any other player (pitcher or hitter) in history. Rickey played more seasons than any other 'hitter' in the "modern era" of baseball.
@@SylviusTheMad It's where the ball crosses the plate not where it hits the glove. Ryan was known for his movement. That's why he was so hard to hit. The movement his stuff had was legendary.
What A great time period 89 thru 94 for MLB clean ballparks. Not junky ads on walls, unifirms that fit, matching shoes, white or grey, no stupid patch for every little "accomplishment".... When men played the game.
I know that people will disagree but to me Ryan was the best pitcher ever. He never played for a good team, run support was hard to get, but when he was on, he was unhittable. He also had 12, 1 hitters...imagine that thought. Early in his career he was a bit wild and he had to work through that, but once he did, I have never seen a pitcher have that kind of control of a batter. Also to play that long as a fast ball pitcher is unheard of. Guys today dont even pitch 7 innings and they are shot after 10 years mostly.
The catcher congratulated him and offered him the ball and Ryan refused it. What a classy guy and it's just another strike out to him and it was no big deal. I've been a Ryan fan since 1969 when he was on the world series champion Mets.
He told him to throw it out...meaning throw it to the dugout. What the hell do you want him to do with the ball? Put it in his pocket? I mean, think about it...if he felt it was just business as usual and didn't care about he ball, what would he...the PITCHER...have done with it? He would have taken it...to use for the next batter. The fact that he didn't take it is an indication that he DID want to keep it.
