I was fortunate enough to see Nolan Ryan pitch towards the end of his career. And darn it I feel like he doesn't get enough credit for how great a pitcher he was. SO let me make the case here:
Nolan Ryan is certainly one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history, and he has a number of impressive accomplishments that support the case for him being the best ever. Some of the key points in his favor include:
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Strikeouts: Ryan holds the all-time record for strikeouts in a career, with 5,714. He also has the most strikeouts in a single season, with 383 in 1973.
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No-hitters: Ryan threw a record seven no-hitters in his career, including two perfect games.
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Durability: Ryan was known for his durability and ability to stay healthy throughout his career. He pitched until he was 46 years old, and he finished his career with an impressive 27 seasons under his belt.
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Consistency: Ryan was consistently dominant throughout his career. He had a career ERA of 3.19, and he was selected to the All-Star team eight times.
Overall, Nolan Ryan's combination of strikeouts, no-hitters, durability, and consistency make him a strong candidate for the title of "best pitcher in baseball history."
Here is a summary of Nolan Ryan's career stats:
- 27 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB)
- 5,714 strikeouts (all-time record)
- 7 no-hitters (all-time record)
- 383 strikeouts (single season record)
- 324 wins
- 292 losses
- 3.19 ERA
- 8 All-Star selections
- Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999
BIO:Nolan Ryan is a former American professional baseball player who played 27 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is considered one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the sport. Ryan was born on January 31, 1947 in Refugio, Texas. He attended Alvin High School, where he played baseball, basketball, and football. After graduating in 1965, he was signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent.
Ryan made his MLB debut with the Mets in 1966, and he played for the team until 1971. In 1972, he was traded to the California Angels, where he played until 1979. He then played for the Houston Astros from 1980 to 1988, and he finished his career with the Texas Rangers, where he played from 1989 to 1993.
During his career, Ryan was known for his exceptional fastball, which was among the fastest in the league. He was also known for his ability to strike out batters, and he holds the all-time record for strikeouts in a career with 5,714. Ryan was also a durable pitcher, and he played until he was 46 years old. He was selected to the All-Star team eight times and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Just to expand on no-hitters alone, Nolan Ryan just stands apart from everyone else over almost 150 years of baseball!
Here’s the list, starting with the pitcher whose no-hitter total stands alone -- Nolan Ryan, who threw seven.
Nolan Ryan (7)
May 1, 1991 TEX vs. TOR
June 11, 1990 TEX at OAK
Sept. 26, 1981 HOU vs. LAD
June 1, 1975 CAL vs. BAL
Sept. 28, 1974 CAL vs. MIN
July 15, 1973 CAL at DET
May 15, 1973 CAL at KC
Sandy Koufax (4)
Sept. 9, 1965 LAD vs. CHC (perfect game)
June 4, 1964 LAD at PHI
May 11, 1963 LAD vs. SF
June 30, 1962 LAD vs. NYM
Justin Verlander (3)
Sept. 1, 2019 HOU at TOR
May 7, 2011 DET at TOR
June 12, 2007 DET vs. MIL
Bob Feller (3)
July 1, 1951 CLE vs. DET (1st game of DH)
April 30, 1946 CLE at NYY
April 16, 1940 CLE at CWS
Cy Young (3)
June 30, 1908 BOS at NYY
May 5, 1904 BOS vs. PHA (perfect game)
Sept. 18, 1897 CLV vs. CIN
Larry Corcoran (3)
June 27, 1884 CHC vs. PRO
Sept. 20, 1882 CHC vs. WOR
Aug. 19, 1880 CHC vs. BSN
Mike Fiers (2)
May 7, 2019 OAK vs. CIN
Aug. 21, 2015 HOU vs. LAD
Jake Arrieta (2)
April 21, 2016 CHC at CIN
Aug. 30, 2015 CHC at LAD
Max Scherzer (2)
Oct. 3, 2015 WSH at NYM (2nd game of DH)
June 20, 2015 WSH vs. PIT
Tim Lincecum (2)
June 25, 2014 SF vs. SD
July 13, 2013 SF at SD
Homer Bailey (2)
July 2, 2013 CIN vs. SF
Sept. 28, 2012 CIN at PIT
Roy Halladay (2)
Oct. 6, 2010 PHI vs. CIN (postseason)
May 29, 2010 PHI at FLA (perfect game)
Mark Buehrle (2)
July 23, 2009 CWS vs. TB (perfect game)
April 18, 2007 CWS vs. TEX
Randy Johnson (2)
May 18, 2004 ARI at ATL (perfect game)
June 2, 1990 SEA vs. DET
Hideo Nomo (2)
April 4, 2001 BOS at BAL
Sept. 17, 1996 LAD at COL
Bob Forsch (2)
Sept. 26, 1983 STL vs. MON
April 16, 1978 STL vs. PHI
Steve Busby (2)
June 19, 1974 KC at MIL
April 27, 1973 KC at DET
Bill Stoneman (2)
Oct. 2, 1972 MON vs. NYM (1st game of DH)
April 17, 1969 MON at PHI
Ken Holtzman (2)
June 3, 1971 CHC at CIN
Aug. 19, 1969 CHC at ATL
Don Wilson (2)
May 1, 1969 HOU at CIN
June 18, 1967 HOU vs. ATL
Jim Maloney (2)
April 30, 1969 CIN vs. HOU
Aug. 19, 1965 CIN at CHC (1st game of DH)
Jim Bunning (2)
June 21, 1964 PHI at NYM (perfect game, 1st game of DH)
July 20, 1958 DET at BOS (1st game of DH)
Warren Spahn (2)
April 28, 1961 MIL vs. SF
Sept. 16, 1960 MIL vs. PHI
Carl Erskine (2)
May 12, 1956 BRK vs. NYG
June 19, 1952 BRK vs. CHC
Virgil Trucks (2)
Aug. 25, 1952 DET at NYY
May 15, 1952 DET vs. WSH
Allie Reynolds (2)
Sept. 28, 1951 NYY vs. BOS (1st game of DH)
July 12, 1951 NYY at CLE
Johnny Vander Meer (2)
June 15, 1938 CIN at BRK
June 11, 1938 CIN vs. BOS
Dutch Leonard (2)
June 3, 1918 BOS at DET
Aug. 30, 1916 BOS vs. STL
Addie Joss (2)
April 20, 1910 CLE at CWS
Oct. 2, 1908 CLE vs. CWS (perfect game)
Frank Smith (2)
Sept. 20, 1908 CWS vs. PHI
Sept. 6, 1905 CWS at DET
Christy Mathewson (2)
June 13, 1905 NYG at CHC
July 15, 1901 NYG at STL
Theodore Breitenstein (2)
April 22, 1898 CIN vs. PIT
Oct. 4, 1891 SLB vs. LOU
Adonis Terry (2)
May 27, 1888 BRK vs. LOU
July 24, 1886 BRK vs. SLB
Al Atkinson (2)
May 1, 1886 PHI vs. NYP
May 24, 1884 PHI vs. PIT
Pud Galvin (2)
Aug. 4, 1884 BUF at DET
Aug. 20, 1880 BUF vs. WOR