William W. Lace - Nolan Ryan: Hall of Fame Baseball Superstar

Nolan Ryan Hall of Fame Baseball Superstar

Nolan Ryan's fastball was called "The Ryan Express" because most of the time it would be clocked at over 100 mph. With numerous MLB records that will most likely never be broken, such as seven no-hitters and 5,714 strikeouts, Ryan will always have a prominent place in baseball history. Learn about the twenty-seven-year Hall-of-Fame pitcher who also became the owner, CEO, and president of the Texas Rangers.

About the Author

William W. Lace is the author of more than fifty juvenile nonfiction titles on subjects ranging from the Pittsburgh Steelers to ghost hunting. Now retired, Lace served as Vice Chancellor for Administration of the Tarrant County College District in Fort Worth, Texas until March 2010.

Nolan Ryan rears back to throw one of his blazing fastballs.

The night had grown late. It was nearly 10:30 p.m. But few of the 33,439 baseball fans in Arlington Stadium had left when the bottom of the ninth inning began. The Texas Rangers led Toronto, 3-0. The visiting Blue Jays didnt even have one hit. That fact was what kept the fans in their seats. Could the Rangers Nolan Ryan pitch another no-hit game?

Ryan didnt dream that this game on May 1, 1991, would be anything special. Warming up he complained about sore muscles. Then a scar on the middle finger of his pitching hand began to bleed. A no-hitter was the furthest thing from my mind, he said later.

Yet only two Blue Jays, Kelley Gruber and Joe Carter, had managed to reach base, both on walks. The other 24 men to face Ryan had been retired, 15 of them on strikeouts! Now a no-hitter was on everyones mind.

Ryans first pitch to Manny Lee was a fastball low for ball one. Then he zipped another fastball. Lee swung, hitting a ground ball. Texas second baseman Julio Franco scooped it up and threw to first baseman Rafael Palmeiro: one out!

That brought up Devon White. He took a fastball high for ball one, then fouled off another to even the count. A called strike, another foul ball, and two balls made the count 3-2. Ryan went with his fastball again, and White hit another grounder to Franco. Again the second baseman cleanly fielded the ball and threw to Palmeiro: two out!

Next at bat was Roberto Alomar. Ryan had known Alomar since the Toronto second baseman was three years old. Ryan and Alomars father, Sandy, had been teammates on the California Angels. In fact, Ryan had spent many hours teaching the six year old how to pitch. But now Roberto, at twenty-three, was standing between Ryan and a no-hitter.

The crowd kept up a steady roar. Everyone was standing, including Nolans wife, Ruth. She had been sitting, her knees shaking, during the first two outs.

Alomar missed Ryans first pitch and fouled off the second. Just one more strike was needed. But a fastball missed low for ball one, and after another foul, a curve was outside for ball two. Ryan got his signal from catcher Mike Stanley, wound up, and fired another fastball. It was his 122nd pitch of the night and registered 93 miles per hour on the radar gun. Alomar swung, but too late. Strike three, and the no-hitter was official!

After throwing his seventh career no-hitter, Ryan is carried off the field by his Texas Rangers teammates.

Ryan flashed a broad smile. He strode off the mound and shook Stanleys hand before being surrounded by his shouting, leaping teammates. He had done it again! At forty-four, long past the age when most baseball players end their careers, Nolan Ryan had pitched his seventh no-hit game. No one had ever done that before. But, of course, when Ryan had pitched his fifth and sixth no-hitters, no one had ever done that either.

Later, in the middle of the locker-room celebration, Ryan was excited. He wasnt thinking about himself. Instead, he considered the people who had watched him. It came here, in front of these fans on Arlington Appreciation Night, and theyve been so supportive of me and my family since we came here a couple of years ago, he said.

The fans in Arlington had many reasons to support Ryan. In 1989, his first season with the Rangers, he had become the first pitcher ever to strike out 5,000 batters. In 1990 he pitched his sixth no-hitter and became only the 20th pitcher to win 300 games.

This seventh no-hitter, though, was special for Ryan. This is my best, he said. This is my most overpowering night.

Yet, the night was far from over. All the reporters wanted to talk to Ryan. Finally, he was able to take Ruth and some friends to a late dinner. By the time he got to bed it was 2:30 a.m.

Nolan Ryan spent the last five years of his career with the Texas Rangers. Ryan has stated that he never enjoyed an organization more.

Most people would have slept late the next morning, but not Nolan Ryan. At 9 a.m., he was the first player in the Rangers clubhouse, starting two hours of heavy weightlifting. No more time for celebration, only for the hard work of keeping an older mans body fit enough for a young mans game. Working out was not something Ryan especially liked, but it was something he had to do.

You wake up in the morning when youre tired, and you have to come over here, he said. It gets old, because it dominates so much of your time. But I know if I want to keep going, its what I have to do.

In many ways, Ryan had come a long way from his hometown of Alvin, Texas. He had pitched in big cities and signed big-money contracts. But in other ways he had never left Alvin. Behind all the money and glamour, he remained a quiet, almost shy man. Ryan remained true to the values of honesty, hard work, loyalty, and respect for others that he had learned growing up.

His family called Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr., Nolan. His father, Lynn Nolan Ryan, Sr., was called Lynn. Nolan was born January 31, 1947, in Refugio, Texas. Six months later, his father was transferred by the oil company he worked for. The family moved to Alvin, a town twenty miles south of Houston. At the time, about 5,000 people lived there.

There wasnt much to Alvin then, and its still not a big place. In spite of the enormous growth around Houston, Alvins population has increased to only about 25,000 over the last sixty years.

There wasnt much for a kid to do besides school and sports. But young Nolan also had work to do. He was the youngest of six children. And when the oldest of Nolans four sisters went to college, Nolans father took a second job as a distributor for The Houston Post. So when Nolan was in second grade, he began working with his father. He and his older brother, Robert, would get up at 1 a.m. and help their father roll up and tie the 1,500 newspapers to be delivered. It would be 4 or 5 a.m. before they would get back to sleep until they woke up again for school.

When Ryan was old enough to drive, he helped deliver the papers. Later, the story was that Ryan gained his arm strength by throwing the newspapers. This made for a good story, but it wasnt true. Ryan pitched right-handed, but threw the papers left-handed, keeping his right hand on the steering wheel.