Nolan Ryan

Who is Nolan Ryan?

Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr., nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and chief executive officer of the Texas Rangers. He is currently an executive adviser to the owner of the Houston Astros.

During a major league record 27-year baseball career, he pitched in 1966 and from 1968 to 1993 for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Ryan, a hard-throwing, right-handed pitcher, threw pitches that were regularly recorded above 100 miles per hour. The high velocity remained throughout his career, even into his 40s. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.

While his lifetime winning percentage was .526, Ryan was an eight-time MLB All-Star, and his 5,714 career strikeouts rank first in baseball history by a significant margin. He leads the runner-up, Randy Johnson, by 839 strikeouts. 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 Major League history.