Nolan Ryan - wikipedia Nolan Ryan Nolan Ryan Ryan with the Texas Rangers in 1990 Pitcher Born : ( 1947 - 01 - 31 ) January 31, 1947 ( age 71 ) Refugio, Texas Batted : Right Threw : Right MLB debut September 11, 1966, for the New York Mets Last MLB appearance September 22, 1993, for the Texas Rangers MLB statistics Win -- loss record 324 -- 292 Earned run average 3.19 Strikeouts 5,714 Teams New York Mets ( 1966, 1968 -- 1971 ) California Angels ( 1972 -- 1979 ) Houston Astros ( 1980 -- 1988 ) Texas Rangers ( 1989 -- 1993 ) Career highlights and awards 8 × All - Star ( 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1989 ) World Series champion ( 1969 ) 2 × NL ERA leader ( 1981, 1987 ) 11 × Strikeout leader ( 1972 -- 1974, 1976 -- 1979, 1987 -- 1990 ) Los Angeles Angels # 30 retired Houston Astros # 34 retired Texas Rangers # 34 retired Angels Hall of Fame Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Major League Baseball All - Century Team MLB records 5,714 career strikeouts 7 career no - hitters Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 1999 Vote 98.8 % ( first ballot ) Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. ( born January 31, 1947 ), nicknamed The Ryan Express, is a former Major League Baseball ( MLB ) pitcher and a previous chief executive officer ( CEO ) of the Texas Rangers. He is currently an executive adviser to the owner of the Houston Astros. Ryan enjoyed a major league record 27 - year baseball career that spanned four decades : 1966, 1968 -- 1993. He pitched 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 clocked above 100 miles per hour ( 161 km / h ). He maintained this velocity 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. Ryan had a lifetime winning percentage of. 526, and he was an eight - time MLB All - Star. His 5,714 career strikeouts is an MLB record by a significant margin and will be difficult for any future pitcher to surpass. 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 MLB history. Ryan, Pedro Martínez, Randy Johnson, and Sandy Koufax are the only four pitchers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame who had more strikeouts than innings pitched. Besides Jackie Robinson ( whose number was retired by Major League Baseball ) and Frank Robinson ( 3 teams ), Ryan is the only other major league baseball player to have his number retired by at least three different teams : the Angels, Astros, and Rangers. Ryan is the all - time leader in no - hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher. He is tied with Bob Feller for the most one - hitters, with 12. Ryan also pitched 18 two - hitters. Despite the seven no - hitters, he was never the winning pitcher of a perfect game, nor did he ever win a Cy Young Award. Ryan is one of only 29 players in baseball history to have appeared in Major League baseball games in four decades and the only pitcher to have struck out seven pairs of fathers and sons. Contents 1 Early life 2 Playing career 2.1 New York Mets ( 1966, 1968 -- 1971 ) 2.2 California Angels ( 1972 -- 1979 ) 2.3 Houston Astros ( 1980 -- 1988 ) 2.4 Texas Rangers ( 1989 -- 1993 ) 2.5 No - hitters 3 Later activity 3.1 Texas Rangers president and CEO 3.2 Houston Astros special assistant 4 Legacy 5 Personal life 5.1 Political activity 6 See also 7 References 7.1 General references 8 External links Early life Ryan was born in Refugio, south of Victoria in south Texas, the youngest of six children, to Lynn Nolan Ryan Sr. ( 1907 -- 1970 ), and the former Martha Lee Hancock ( 1913 -- 1990 ). The senior Ryan operated a newspaper delivery service for the Houston Post that required him to rise in the early morning hours to prepare 1,500 newspapers for delivery over a 55 - mile route. The children were expected to help with the daily tasks. Ryan 's family lived in nearby Woodsboro in Refugio County, until they moved to Alvin in Brazoria County, when Nolan was six weeks old. As a young boy, Nolan enjoyed throwing objects at any target. His father thought baseball a better usage for his arm ; therefore, he encouraged Nolan to play the game. Ryan joined Alvin Little League Baseball when he was nine, made the all - star team when he was 11 and 12, and pitched the first no - hitter of his life a few years later. Ryan also played various positions besides pitcher. Ryan played baseball for Coach Jim Watson at Alvin High School for all of his high school career. Ryan held the school 's single game strikeout record for 44 years, striking out 21 hitters in a 7 - inning game. The record was eventually tied by Alvin High School pitchers Aaron Stewart and Josh Land in the same week in 2009. In 1963, at an Alvin High School game at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas, Red Murff, a scout for the New York Mets, first noticed sophomore pitcher Ryan. Coach Watson recounted to Murff that some opponents refused to bat against Ryan and how his hard pitches would sometimes break bones in his catchers ' hands. In his subsequent report to the Mets, Murff stated that Ryan had `` the best arm I 've seen in my life. '' Playing career New York Mets ( 1966, 1968 -- 1971 ) In 1965, after graduating from Alvin High School, Ryan was drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1965 Major League Baseball draft. He was assigned the minor league Marion Mets in the Appalachian League. When Ryan was called up to the New York club the following year, he was the second - youngest player in the league. His first strikeout was Pat Jarvis, and he gave up his first major league home run to Joe Torre, a future NL MVP and Hall of Fame big - league manager. Ryan missed much of the 1967 season due to illness, an arm injury, and service with the Army Reserve ; he pitched only 7 innings for the Mets ' minor league affiliate in Jacksonville. Ryan returned to the major leagues to stay starting with the 1968 season. Ryan was unable to crack the Mets ' pitching rotation, led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Ryan was used more as a reliever and spot starter by the 1969 Mets. To deal with frequent blisters on his throwing hand he often soaked his fingers in pickle brine, although the technique 's effectiveness was questioned by Ryan 's teammates and coaches. Ryan pitched well for the Miracle Mets in the 1969 postseason. Against the Braves in the NLCS, Ryan completed a Mets sweep by throwing seven innings of relief in Game 3, getting his first playoff win ( it would take him 12 years to get another ). Then in the 1969 World Series, Ryan saved Game 3, pitching 21⁄3 shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles. The Game 3 victory gave the Mets a 2 -- 1 lead in the Series, which they went on to win in five games. It would be Ryan 's only World Series appearance in his career. On April 18, 1970, Ryan tied a Mets record by striking out 15 batters in one game. Four days later, Ryan 's teammate, Tom Seaver, topped it with a then MLB record 19 against the San Diego Padres ( though Ryan would tie this record four years later ). Ryan has credited his time with Seaver and the Mets with turning him from just a flamethrower to a pitcher. Contrary to popular belief, Ryan never wanted to be traded from the Mets and felt betrayed by the team that drafted him. His views on this only calmed once he started running the Rangers and gained a better understanding of the business side of baseball. California Angels ( 1972 -- 1979 ) Nolan Ryan 's number 30 was retired by the California Angels in 1992. On December 10, 1971, Ryan was traded to the California Angels along with pitcher Don Rose, catcher Francisco Estrada, and outfielder Leroy Stanton for shortstop Jim Fregosi ( who would later manage Ryan in Anaheim ). The deal has been cited as one of the worst in Mets history but was not viewed as unreasonable at the time. 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. He had a league - leading 329 strikeouts -- nearly a third more than the AL runner - up, and to that point, the fourth - highest total of the 20th century. Within five seasons, the season would only be Ryan 's fourth - highest strikeout total. He also set a still - standing Major League record by allowing only 5.26 hits per nine innings, breaking Luis Tiant 's 5.30 in 1968, as well as posting a 2.28 earned run average that year, to date the second lowest in franchise history, trailing only Dean Chance 's 1.65 in 1964. Though Ryan 's actual winning percentage hovered only slightly over. 500, his strikeouts and no - hitters brought him media attention. 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. Although the Angels were a sub -. 500 team and remained one for much of his time there, Ryan managed to post some winning records, notably 19 -- 16 in 1972, 21 -- 16 in 1973 and 22 -- 16 in 1974 ( the 22 wins tied what remains the Angels franchise record, set by Clyde Wright in 1970 ). He finished 2nd in the Cy Young balloting ( losing to Jim Palmer 88 to 62 ) in 1973. It was the closest he ever came in the Cy Young balloting. Ryan also led the league in losses in 1976 with a 17 -- 18 record ( one short of the franchise record for losses ). In the early 1970s, many teams used a four - man rotation and expected the starter to complete the game ; thus most games Ryan started ended in a decision. Ryan, circa 1972 On July 9, 1972, Ryan struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 3 -- 0 win over the Boston Red Sox ; he became the seventh American League pitcher to accomplish the nine - pitch / three - strikeout half - inning ( known as an immaculate inning ), and the first ( and currently only ) pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat in both leagues. ( On April 19, 1968, he had struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 2 -- 1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming the eighth National League pitcher and the 14th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat. ) 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. Remarking on this feat, Koufax joked, `` Yeah, and he also surpassed my total for bases on balls in a single season by 91. I suspect half of those guys he struck out swung rather than get hit. '' Ryan threw two no - hitters in 1973. In the second one, on July 15 against the Detroit Tigers, he struck out 17 batters -- most in a recorded no - hitter. ( This record would later be tied by Max Scherzer on October 3, 2015. ) Ryan was so dominant in this game, it led to one of baseball 's best - remembered pranks. 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. Plate umpire Ron Luciano ordered Cash to go back and get a regulation bat, to which Cash replied, `` Why, I wo n't hit him anyway ! '' With a regulation bat in hand, Cash did finally make contact, but popped out to end the game. During a September 7, 1974 game against the Chicago White Sox at Anaheim Stadium, Ryan became the first Major League pitcher to have his pitch speed measured during a game. A primitive radar gun clocked a ninth inning fastball at 100.8 miles per hour ( 162.2 km / h ) when it was 10 feet ( 3.0 m ) in front of home plate. This exceeded an earlier pitch by Bob Feller which was measured at 98.6 miles per hour ( 158.7 km / h ) at home plate and previously thought to be the fastest pitch ever recorded. Ryan added a third no - hitter in 1974 and a fourth in 1975, tying another of Koufax 's records. In 1974 he twice struck out 19 batters, tying Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton for the single - game record for a nine - inning game. Roger Clemens would become the first pitcher with a 20 - strikeout game in 1986. The California Angels finally made the playoffs in Ryan 's eighth and final year there in 1979. He started Game 1 of the ALCS and threw seven innings against the Orioles ' Jim Palmer, but neither man was involved in the decision as Baltimore won in the 10th inning. Ryan was scheduled to pitch Game 5, but the Angels were eliminated in four. The season complete, Ryan became a free agent. 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. Aside from Bob Feller in 1938, Ryan is the only man since 1900 to walk 200 batters in a season, which he did twice : in 1974 and 1977. 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 26 -- 27 in the last two years he was with the Angels ). Houston Astros ( 1980 -- 1988 ) Nolan Ryan 's number 34 was retired by the Houston Astros in 1996. Ryan signed a lucrative free - agent contract with the Houston Astros after the 1979 season. 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. It was the first of two homers in Ryan 's career and produced half of the six RBI he would get that year. On July 4 of that season, at Riverfront Stadium, Ryan recorded his 3,000 th career strikeout, the victim being César Gerónimo of the Cincinnati Reds ( Gerónimo had also been Bob Gibson 's 3,000 th strikeout victim, in 1974 ). Ryan got his third taste of postseason play in 1980, but the Astros were stopped one game short of the World Series. In the 1980 NLCS versus the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan pitched well in Game 2, leaving the game tied 2 -- 2 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. In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan and the Astros held a 5 -- 2 lead entering the 8th inning. But Ryan allowed three consecutive singles before walking in the third run. The Houston bullpen allowed the Phillies to take a 7 -- 5 lead, and only a game - tying Astro rally permitted Ryan to escape the loss. 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. That season, his 1.69 ERA won the National League ERA title. 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. It was Ryan 's second and last career postseason win. In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan left trailing 3 -- 0 and took the loss. Ryan pitching for the Astros in 1983 By the end of the 1982 season, both Ryan and Steve Carlton were approaching Walter Johnson 's all - time strikeout record, sometimes passing one another 's career totals in successive starts. On April 27, 1983, Ryan won the race with his 3,509 th whiff, against Brad Mills of the Montreal Expos ( Steve Carlton would reach the same mark two weeks after Ryan ). In 1986, Ryan 's Astros faced the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series. Ryan had a shaky start in Game 2, taking the loss. He returned in Game 5, throwing 9 innings of 2 - hit, 1 - run, 12 - strikeout ball, but one of those hits was a Darryl Strawberry home run which tied the game at 1 -- 1, as Dwight Gooden matched Ryan pitch for pitch. Ryan got a no - decision as his Astros lost in 12 innings. In 1987, Ryan led the major leagues in both ERA ( 2.76 ) and strikeouts ( 270 ) at the age of 40 -- but finished 8 -- 16 as the result of extremely poor run support. Despite his. 333 winning percentage, Ryan tied for 5th place in the 1987 Cy Young voting. Ryan hit his second and last career home run in a 12 - 3 win on May 1, 1987, against the Atlanta Braves. Texas Rangers ( 1989 -- 1993 ) Nolan Ryan 's number 34 was retired by the Texas Rangers in 1996. Ryan left Houston in a contract dispute following the 1988 season and joined the Texas Rangers. He became the first player to play for all four MLB original expansion teams : the Mets, Angels, Houston Colt. 45s / Astros and Washington Senators / Texas Rangers. ( Ryan would be joined in this category by Darren Oliver, who made his major league debut as Ryan 's teammate in September 1993. Oliver 's father Bob had also been a teammate of Ryan 's, with the Angels from 1972 to 1974. ) In 1989, he went 16 -- 10 and led the league with 301 strikeouts. Against the Oakland Athletics on August 22, Ryan struck out Rickey Henderson to become the only pitcher to record 5,000 career strikeouts. ( Following the game, Henderson was quoted as saying, `` If he ai n't struck you out, then you ai n't nobody. '' ) His 4,999 th and 5,001 st strikeouts were from the same man, Athletics catcher Ron Hassey. Two years later, at 44, Ryan finished fifth in the league in ERA ( 2.91 ) and third in strikeouts ( 203 ). 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. On May 1, 1991, he set a record by throwing the seventh no - hitter of his career, striking out Roberto Alomar of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final out. On August 6, 1992, Ryan had the first and only ejection of his career when he was ejected after engaging in a shouting match with Oakland Athletics outfielder Willie Wilson with 2 outs in the 9th inning. Before the 1993 season began, Ryan announced that he would retire as a player at the end of that season. On August 4, just before the end, Ryan had yet another high - profile moment -- this time an on - the - mound fight. After Ryan hit Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox with a pitch, Ventura charged the mound in order to fight Ryan, who was 20 years his senior. Ryan secured the 26 - year - old Ventura in a headlock with his left arm, while pummeling Ventura 's head with his right fist six times before catcher Iván Rodríguez was able to pull Ventura away from Ryan. Ryan stated afterwards it was the same maneuver he used on steers he had to brand on his Texas ranch. Videos of the incident were played that evening throughout the country. While Ventura was ejected, Ryan -- who had barely moved from his spot on the mound in the fracas -- was allowed to remain in the game. White Sox manager Gene Lamont vehemently argued this, leading to his own ejection. Ryan pitched a hitless ball game the rest of the way. He had determined to be more aggressive after coming out on the wrong side of an altercation with Dave Winfield in 1980. Ryan on the mound during a 1992 home game at Arlington Stadium Ryan 's arm finally gave out in Seattle on September 22, 1993, when he tore a ligament. The injury ended his career two starts earlier than planned. Ryan briefly attempted to pitch past the injury, and he threw one additional pitch after tearing his ligament. With his injured arm, his final pitch was measured at 98 miles per hour. 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. It was his record - setting 10th grand slam given up of his career. ( Ryan left trailing 5 -- 0, and the fourth walk was completed by a reliever after Ryan 's injury, but credited to Ryan. ) Greg Myers of the California Angels was the last strikeout victim of Nolan Ryan 's career, on September 17, 1993. Ryan finished his career having played in a major league record 27 seasons. He was the final active player from the 1960s to retire from Major League Baseball, outlasting Carlton Fisk ( the final active position player ) by three months. No - hitters Ryan threw a record seven no - hitters during his major league career, three more than any other pitcher. The no - hitters spanned three decades of pitching. 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 ). 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. Date Result Venue Attendance Time Catcher Home plate umpire Box score 000000001973 - 05 - 15 - 0000 May 15, 1973 California Angels 3 at Kansas City Royals 0 Royals Stadium 12,205 2 : 20 Torborg, Jeff Jeff Torborg Evans, Jim Jim Evans 000000001973 - 07 - 15 - 0000 July 15, 1973 California Angels 6 at Detroit Tigers 0 Tiger Stadium 41,411 2 : 21 Kusnyer, Art Art Kusnyer Luciano, Ron Ron Luciano 000000001974 - 09 - 28 - 0000 September 28, 1974 Minnesota Twins 0 at California Angels 4 Anaheim Stadium 10,872 2 : 22 Egan, Tom Tom Egan Frantz, Art Art Frantz 000000001975 - 06 - 01 - 0000 June 1, 1975 Baltimore Orioles 0 at California Angels 1 Anaheim Stadium 18,492 2 : 01 Rodríguez, Ellie Ellie Rodríguez Morgenweck, Hank Hank Morgenweck 000000001981 - 09 - 26 - 0000 September 26, 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers 0 at Houston Astros 5 Astrodome 32,115 2 : 46 Ashby, Alan Alan Ashby Froemming, Bruce Bruce Froemming 000000001990 - 06 - 11 - 0000 June 11, 1990 Texas Rangers 5 at Oakland Athletics 0 Oakland -- Alameda County Coliseum 33,436 2 : 49 Russell, John John Russell Denkinger, Don Don Denkinger 000000001991 - 05 - 01 - 0000 May 1, 1991 Toronto Blue Jays 0 at Texas Rangers 3 Arlington Stadium 33,439 2 : 25 Stanley, Mike Mike Stanley Tschida, Tim Tim Tschida Later activity Nolan Ryan 's post-retirement business interests include ownership of two minor league teams : the Corpus Christi Hooks, which play in the Class AA Texas League, and the Round Rock Express, a Class AAA team in the Pacific Coast League. Both teams were affiliates of the Houston Astros, for whom Ryan also served as a special assistant to the general manager until selling his interest in the team in the off - season between 2004 and 2005. He became the president of the Texas Rangers in 2008. The Express became the Rangers ' AAA affiliate beginning in 2010 ; the Hooks are still the Astros ' AA affiliate and were purchased by the Astros in 2013 when Nolan 's son, Reid Ryan, took office as President of the Houston Astros. Ryan playing catch with a trio of dogs at his Alvin ranch Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the 2005 World Series between the Astros and the White Sox, the first World Series game ever played in Texas. That game went 14 innings, equaling the longest in innings in World Series history ( at 5 : 41, it was the longest in time ). ESPN wryly suggested the Astros might have needed to pull the 58 - year - old Ryan out of retirement if the game had gone much longer. 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. 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 ). In addition to his baseball activities, Ryan was majority owner and chairman of Express Bank of Alvin but sold his interest in 2005. He also owned a restaurant in Three Rivers, Texas. He served on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission from 1995 to 2001. He appeared as a TV spokesman for Advil for several years, promoting the pain medication he recommended for his own arm. He also has appeared in various television commercials shown in the Texas market. After retiring from baseball, Ryan teamed up with the federal government to promote physical fitness. His likeness was used in the `` Nolan Ryan Fitness Guide '', published by The President 's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1994. Ryan suffered a heart attack on April 25, 2000, and had to receive a double coronary bypass. Texas Rangers president and CEO Andy Pettitte and Ryan in 2006 In February 2008, The Rangers hired Ryan as president of the organization. After the 2009 season, Ryan and Chuck Greenberg submitted a bid to purchase the Texas Rangers from owner Tom Hicks. At midnight on August 5, 2010, the Ryan / Greenberg group, Rangers Baseball Express, was announced as the winners of the final auction to purchase the Rangers, after final approval from Major League Baseball. The final cash bid to purchase the franchise was $385 million. The opposing high bidder was Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Greenberg became managing general partner and CEO, while Ryan remained as team president. Greenberg left the group in March 2011, reportedly due to a philosophical clash with Ryan. Ryan was immediately named as CEO while keeping the title of president. 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. Ryan was named the Dallas - Fort Worth 's 2012 CEO of the Year by Southern Methodist University 's Cox School of Business. 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. Rick George was promoted to president of business operations. Ryan 's title was changed simply to CEO and both Daniels and George reported to him. On October 17, 2013, Ryan announced that he was stepping down as Rangers CEO effective October 31, 2013. Houston Astros special assistant On February 11, 2014, Ryan accepted a position as a special assistant to Astros owner Jim Crane. Legacy This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. ( May 2014 ) The Nolan Ryan Exhibit Center in Alvin, Texas A collection of rings awarded to Nolan Ryan for appearances as an all - star and as a member of the 1969 New York Mets World Champion team Ryan played in more seasons ( 27 ) than any other player in modern ( since 1900 ) major league history. Ryan ranks first all - time in strikeouts ( 5,714 ), fewest hits allowed per nine innings ( 6.56 ), and no - hitters ( 7 ). He is also fifth in innings pitched ( 5,386 ), second in games started ( 773 ), seventh in shutouts ( 61 ) and is tied for 14th in wins ( 324 ). Opposing hitters hit only. 204 against Ryan during his career, though they had a. 309 on - base percentage against him. He also limited hitters to a. 298 slugging percentage. Ryan had 15 or more strikeouts in a game 26 times, second only to Randy Johnson, who had 28. Ryan 's lengthy career spanned generations as he struck out seven pairs of fathers and sons ( for example, Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds ), another major league record. Ryan also played during the administrations of seven U.S. Presidents -- Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton -- equaling a 20th - century record that had been set by Jim Kaat. Ryan also ranks high on the list for four `` negative '' records ; he ranks first all - time in walks allowed ( 2,795 ), first in wild pitches ( 277 ), third in losses ( 292 -- most in the post-1920 live - ball era ), and ninth in hit batters ( 158 ). Ryan is also one of two pitchers in MLB history to give up ten grand slam home runs, including one to Dann Howitt, the next - to - last batter Ryan faced in his career. Nolan Ryan 's signature Bill James focuses on this dichotomy between Ryan 's positive and negative statistics. While ranking him as the 24th best pitcher of all time, he notes, `` Ryan has been retired almost ten years ( in 2001 ), in another ten perhaps we will begin to get a little bit of perspective on him. 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. '' Other writers have delved more into the specifics of James ' general concerns. ESPN writer Rob Neyer stated in a 2003 column that while Ryan was among the 20 best pitchers since World War II, he `` often had trouble throwing strikes, ( and ) he was n't any good at fielding his position ''. 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 `` was n't even close to being in the top 100 ''. Ryan and Frank Robinson are the only two major league players to have their number retired by three different teams on which they played. The California Angels ( now the Los Angeles Angels ) retired the number 30 on June 16, 1992 ; the Texas Rangers retired his number 34 on September 15, 1996 ; and the Houston Astros retired number 34 on September 29, 1996. His number was the first retired by the Rangers. He is also one of only nine players to have had their numbers retired by more than one MLB team, with Carlton Fisk ( Red Sox and White Sox ), Reggie Jackson ( Athletics and Yankees ), Rollie Fingers ( Brewers and Athletics ), Hank Aaron ( Brewers and Braves ), Greg Maddux ( Braves and Cubs ), Frank Robinson ( Reds, Orioles and Indians ), Rod Carew ( Twins and Angels ), and Jackie Robinson ( All MLB ) being the others. Two managers, Casey Stengel ( Yankees and Mets ) and Sparky Anderson ( Reds and Tigers ) also had their numbers retired by more than one team. Ryan was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, in his first year of eligibility with 98.79 % of the vote ( 491 out of 497 possible ), six votes short of a unanimous election and the third highest percentage in history, behind Ken Griffey Jr. ( 99.32 %, 437 out of 440 possible ) and Tom Seaver ( 98.84 %, 425 out of 430 possible ). He chose to wear a Rangers cap for his HOF plaque to reflect his Texas heritage, as well as the fact that his 300th win, 5000th strikeout, and last two no - hitters came as a Ranger. He was the first Hall of Famer inducted as a Ranger. That year, he ranked 41st on The Sporting News ' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was elected to the Major League Baseball All - Century Team. He was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2003, and named the Rangers ', and Astros ' Hometown Hero in 2006 -- the only player to be so named by two franchises. In 2011, he was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1992 the United States Mint produced a $1 commemorative coin honoring Olympic baseball depicting a pitcher in a USA Baseball uniform, but in a pose nearly identical to Ryan 's photo on his 1991 Fleer baseball card. The numismatic community subsequently referred to the coin as the `` Nolan Ryan dollar. '' In 1995 the Texas State Legislature declared State Highway 288, which passes near Alvin, as the Nolan Ryan Expressway. The Alvin Independent School District opened Nolan Ryan Junior High School, located at 11500 Shadow Creek Parkway ( FM 2234 ) in Pearland, Texas, just a few hundred yards away from the Nolan Ryan Expressway. Personal life Ryan married his high school sweetheart, the former Ruth Holdorff, on June 25, 1967. They have three children, Reid, Reese, and Wendy. Reid and Reese were both pitchers for the TCU Horned Frogs. Reid also pitched briefly in the minor leagues. On May 17, 2013, Reid was announced as president of the Houston Astros. Nolan Ryan resides in the Cimarron Hills community in Georgetown, a suburb of Austin. Political activity Though he supported Jimmy Carter over Gerald R. Ford Jr. in 1976, Ryan has since been an ardent Republican. 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. On April 7, 2011, Todd Staples announced that Nolan Ryan would be his statewide chairman for his exploratory committee for lieutenant governor. Ryan is quoted as saying, `` Todd Staples is the top prospect for the Texas Republican Party in 2014. '' Staples, however, lost out in that race to current Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick of Houston. See also Biography portal Houston portal Dallas portal Austin portal Texas portal Baseball portal Business and Economics portal Books portal Politics portal 300 win club DHL Hometown Heroes List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders List of Major League Baseball no - hitters List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades List of Major League Baseball single - game strikeout leaders List of Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders Nolan Ryan 's Baseball List of Major League Baseball pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls allowed leaders References ^ Jump up to : Pitching Splits and Daily Pitching Logs at Retrosheet and Baseball-Reference.com. Jump up ^ Bill James ; Rob Neyer ( 2004 ). The Neyer / James Guide to Pitchers. New York : Fireside. pp. 382 -- 383. ISBN 0 - 7432 - 6158 - 5. Jump up ^ Ryan, Nolan ; Frommer, Harvey ( 1988 ). Throwing Heat : The Autobiography of Nolan Ryan. New York : Doubleday. ISBN 0 - 385 - 24438 - X. Jump up ^ `` Lynn Nolan Ryan Sr ''. Findagrave.com. Retrieved January 4, 2017. Jump up ^ The senior Lynn Ryans are interred at Confederate Cemetery in Alvin, Texas. Jump up ^ Miracle Man : Nolan Ryan : The Autobiography, with Jerry Jenkins, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992, ISBN 0 - 8499 - 0945 - 7, pp. 33, 65, 66. ^ Jump up to : `` Nolan Ryan, The Man ''. Nolanryan.net. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Sanna, Ellyn ( 2003 ). Nolan Ryan. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0 - 8239 - 3601 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Nolan Ryan Foundation Entry Page ''. Nolanryanfoundation.org. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Nolan Ryan infosite ''. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` D Magazine -- Dallas Guide to Restaurants, Nightlife, Things to Do, Shopping, Politics, and Culture. Find all the best Dallas has to offer ''. Insidecorner.dmagazine.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Nolan Ryan Strikeout Record Broken ! -- Alvin High School Baseball ''. Alvinbaseball.org. December 7, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Minor League Career Statistics at Baseball-Reference.com Jump up ^ `` The Ballplayers -- Nolan Ryan ''. BaseballLibrary.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Nolan Ryan Stats - Baseball-Reference.com ''. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017. Jump up ^ `` What a Day For Tom Seaver ''. Meriden Journal. Associated Press. April 23, 1970. Retrieved April 18, 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Kult Of Mets Personalities -- Nolan Ryan / Kris Benson 03 / 14 by Ivie League Prod ''. Blogtalkradio.com. March 14, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Burman, Howard ( December 18, 2012 ). `` Season of Ghosts : The ' 86 Mets and the Red Sox ''. McFarland. Retrieved December 7, 2017 -- via Google Books. Jump up ^ `` '' Tiger first baseman Norm Cash. '' Baseball Digest, 2001 ``. Findarticles.com. July 15, 1973. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2011. Jump up ^ Hock, Jonathon ( Director ) ( 2016 ). Fastball ( Motion picture ). access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ Moran, Malcolm ( August 2, 1990 ). `` Ryan Savors His Milestone With a Feeling of Relief ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ Freeman, Denne H. ( August 5, 1993 ). `` Raging Ryan Strikes Ventura ''. Austin American - Statesman. p. C1. Jump up ^ Baseball 's Top 100 : The Game 's Greatest Records, p. 32, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, ISBN 978 - 1 - 55365 - 507 - 7 Jump up ^ `` May 15, 1973 California Angels at Kansas City Royals Box Score and Play by Play ''. Baseball-Reference.com. May 15, 1973. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` July 15, 1973 California Angels at Detroit Tigers Box Score and Play by Play ''. Baseball-Reference.com. July 15, 1973. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` September 28, 1974 Minnesota Twins at California Angels Play by Play and Box Score ''. Baseball-Reference.com. September 28, 1974. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` June 1, 1975 Baltimore Orioles at California Angels Box Score and Play by Play ''. Baseball-Reference.com. June 1, 1975. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` September 26, 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros Box Score and Play by Play ''. Baseball-Reference.com. September 26, 1981. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` June 11, 1990 Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics Play by Play and Box Score ''. Baseball-Reference.com. June 11, 1990. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` May 1, 1991 Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers Box Score and Play by Play ''. Baseball-Reference.com. May 1, 1991. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Texas United Bancshares agrees to buy Nolan Ryan family 's bank ''. San Antonio Business Journal. October 27, 2005. Jump up ^ `` The President 's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports -- Publications ''. Fitness.gov. Retrieved March 12, 2011. Jump up ^ The Deseret News via Google News Archive Search Jump up ^ Grant, Evan ( February 6, 2008 ). `` Nolan Ryan hired as Texas Rangers ' president ''. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 3, 2010. Jump up ^ Sullivan, T.R. ( March 11, 2010 ). `` Greenberg leaves Rangers ; Ryan named CEO ''. MLB.com. Jump up ^ Wills, Todd ( May 24, 2013 ). `` Ray Davis, Bob Simpson to continue as low - key counsel for Texas Rangers texasrangers.com : News ''. Texas.rangers.mlb.com. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Curry, Kerry ( December 2012 ). `` CEO of the Year : Nolan Ryan ''. Dmagazine.com. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Wilson, Jeff ( March 1, 2013 ). `` Rangers promote Jon Daniels to president of baseball operations ''. Fort Worth Star - Telegram. Retrieved October 17, 2013. Jump up ^ Fraley, Gerry ( October 17, 2013 ). `` Nolan Ryan to retire as Texas Rangers CEO on Halloween ''. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 17, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Nolan Ryan to return to Astros as special assistant to Jim Crane ''. Houston Chronicle. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Nolan Ryan Express The Strikeout King smackbomb.com/nolanryan ''. Smackbomb.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011. Jump up ^ James. `` The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract '' : 862. Jump up ^ Rob NeyerESPN.com ( May 27, 2003 ). `` No mention of Ryan brings plenty of disbelief ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved March 12, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Nolan Ryan : why he 's overrated ''. ESPN.com. September 16, 1999. Retrieved March 12, 2011. Jump up ^ Texas Rangers Retired Number History on mlb.com Retrieved May 18, 2006 Jump up ^ Nolan Ryan Baseball Hall of Fame bio Retrieved April 26, 2006 Archived July 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Bios Of The Inductees. Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame website. Retrieved February 23, 2014. Jump up ^ `` 1992 Olympic Baseball ''. deecken.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Did the United States produce a Nolan Ryan Dollar coin ? ''. Retrieved December 7, 2017. Jump up ^ Smith, Claire ( April 3, 1991 ). `` As Texas Watches, Ryan Hurls Against Ryan ''. New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Nolan Ryan 's Oldest Son Named Astros President ''. WBBM - TV. May 17, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013. Jump up ^ Caldwell, Christopher ( July 22, 2007 ). `` The Antiwar, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Drug - Enforcement - Administration, Anti-Medicare Candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul ''. New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Press Releases ''. April 7, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2013. Jump up ^ `` PRESS RELEASE : Nolan Ryan to Serve as Statewide Chairman for Staples ''. April 7, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2013. General references James, Bill ( 2001 ). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York : Free Press. Pietrusza, David ; Silverman, Matthew ; Michael Gershman ( 2000 ). Baseball : The Biographical Encyclopedia. Total / Sports Illustrated. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nolan Ryan. Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball - Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball - Reference ( Minors ) Nolan Ryan at the Baseball Hall of Fame Works by or about Nolan Ryan in libraries ( WorldCat catalog ) The Nolan Ryan Foundation Links to related articles Preceded by Steve Busby Nolan Ryan Dick Bosman Nolan Ryan Len Barker Randy Johnson Dave Stieb No - hitter pitcher May 15, 1973 July 15, 1973 September 28, 1974 June 1, 1975 September 26, 1981 June 11, 1990 May 1, 1991 Succeeded by Nolan Ryan Jim Bibby Nolan Ryan Ed Halicki Dave Righetti Dave Stewart Tommy Greene Preceded by Jeff Cogen Texas Rangers President 2008 -- 2013 Succeeded by none Preceded by Jeff Robinson AL hits per nine innings 1989 -- 1991 Succeeded by Randy Johnson Major League Baseball All - Century Team Pitchers Nolan Ryan Sandy Koufax Cy Young Roger Clemens Bob Gibson Walter Johnson Warren Spahn Christy Mathewson Lefty Grove Catchers Johnny Bench Yogi Berra Infielders Lou Gehrig Mark McGwire Jackie Robinson Rogers Hornsby Mike Schmidt Brooks Robinson Cal Ripken Jr. Ernie Banks Honus Wagner Outfielders Babe Ruth Hank Aaron Ted Williams Willie Mays Joe DiMaggio Mickey Mantle Ty Cobb Ken Griffey Jr. Pete Rose Stan Musial 300 win club Cy Young Walter Johnson Christy Mathewson Grover Cleveland Alexander Warren Spahn Pud Galvin Kid Nichols Greg Maddux Roger Clemens Tim Keefe Steve Carlton John Clarkson Eddie Plank Nolan Ryan Don Sutton Phil Niekro Gaylord Perry Tom Seaver Charles Radbourn Mickey Welch Tom Glavine Randy Johnson Lefty Grove Early Wynn Book : 300 win club 3,000 strikeout club Nolan Ryan Randy Johnson Roger Clemens Steve Carlton Bert Blyleven Tom Seaver Don Sutton Gaylord Perry Walter Johnson Greg Maddux Phil Niekro Ferguson Jenkins Pedro Martínez Bob Gibson Curt Schilling John Smoltz Book : 3,000 strikeout club National League season ERA leaders 1876 : Bradley 1877 : Bond 1878 : Ward 1879 : Bond 1880 : Keefe 1881 : Wiedman 1882 : Corcoran 1883 : J. McCormick 1884 : Radbourn 1885 : Keefe 1886 : Boyle 1887 : Casey 1888 : Keefe 1889 : Clarkson 1890 : Rhines 1891 : Ewing 1892 : Young 1893 : Breitenstein 1894 : Rusie 1895 : Maul 1896 : Rhines 1897 : Rusie 1898 : Griffith 1899 : Willis 1900 : Waddell 1901 : Tannehill 1902 : Taylor 1903 : Leever 1904 : McGinnity 1905 : Mathewson 1906 : M. Brown 1907 : Pfiester 1908 : Mathewson 1909 : Mathewson 1910 : Cole 1911 : Mathewson 1912 : Tesreau 1913 : Mathewson 1914 : Doak 1915 : Alexander 1916 : Alexander 1917 : Anderson 1918 : Vaughn 1919 : Alexander 1920 : Alexander 1921 : Doak 1922 : Douglas 1923 : Luque 1924 : Vance 1925 : Luque 1926 : Kremer 1927 : Kremer 1928 : Vance 1929 : Walker 1930 : Vance 1931 : Walker 1932 : Warneke 1933 : Hubbell 1934 : Hubbell 1935 : Blanton 1936 : Hubbell 1937 : Turner 1938 : Lee 1939 : Walters 1940 : Walters 1941 : Riddle 1942 : Cooper 1943 : Lanier 1944 : Heusser 1945 : Prim 1946 : Pollet 1947 : Spahn 1948 : Brecheen 1949 : Koslo 1950 : Maglie 1951 : Nichols, Jr. 1952 : Wilhelm 1953 : Spahn 1954 : Antonelli 1955 : Friend 1956 : Burdette 1957 : Podres 1958 : Miller 1959 : S. Jones 1960 : M. McCormick 1961 : Spahn 1962 : Koufax 1963 : Koufax 1964 : Koufax 1965 : Koufax 1966 : Koufax 1967 : Niekro 1968 : Gibson 1969 : Marichal 1970 : Seaver 1971 : Seaver 1972 : Carlton 1973 : Seaver 1974 : Capra 1975 : R. Jones 1976 : Denny 1977 : Candelaria 1978 : Swan 1979 : Richard 1980 : Sutton 1981 : Ryan 1982 : Rogers 1983 : Hammaker 1984 : Peña 1985 : Gooden 1986 : Scott 1987 : Ryan 1988 : Magrane 1989 : Garrelts 1990 : Darwin 1991 : D. Martínez 1992 : Swift 1993 : Maddux 1994 : Maddux 1995 : Maddux 1996 : K. Brown 1997 : P. Martínez 1998 : Maddux 1999 : R. Johnson 2000 : K. Brown 2001 : R. Johnson 2002 : R. Johnson 2003 : Schmidt 2004 : Peavy 2005 : Clemens 2006 : Oswalt 2007 : Peavy 2008 : Santana 2009 : Carpenter 2010 : J. Johnson 2011 : Kershaw 2012 : Kershaw 2013 : Kershaw 2014 : Kershaw 2015 : Greinke 2016 : Hendricks 2017 : Kershaw American League season strikeout leaders 1901 : Young 1902 : Waddell 1903 : Waddell 1904 : Waddell 1905 : Waddell 1906 : Waddell 1907 : Waddell 1908 : Walsh 1909 : Smith 1910 : W. Johnson 1911 : Walsh 1912 : W. Johnson 1913 : W. Johnson 1914 : W. Johnson 1915 : W. Johnson 1916 : W. Johnson 1917 : W. Johnson 1918 : W. Johnson 1919 : W. Johnson 1920 : Coveleski 1921 : W. Johnson 1922 : Shocker 1923 : W. Johnson 1924 : W. Johnson 1925 : Grove 1926 : Grove 1927 : Grove 1928 : Grove 1929 : Grove 1930 : Grove 1931 : Grove 1932 : Ruffing 1933 : Gomez 1934 : Gomez 1935 : Bridges 1936 : Bridges 1937 : Gomez 1938 : Feller 1939 : Feller 1940 : Feller 1941 : Feller 1942 : Hughson & Newsom 1943 : Reynolds 1944 : Newhouser 1945 : Newhouser 1946 : Feller 1947 : Feller 1948 : Feller 1949 : Trucks 1950 : Lemon 1951 : Raschi 1952 : Reynolds 1953 : Pierce 1954 : Turley 1955 : Score 1956 : Score 1957 : Wynn 1958 : Wynn 1959 : Bunning 1960 : Bunning 1961 : Pascual 1962 : Pascual 1963 : Pascual 1964 : Downing 1965 : McDowell 1966 : McDowell 1967 : Lonborg 1968 : McDowell 1969 : McDowell 1970 : McDowell 1971 : Lolich 1972 : Ryan 1973 : Ryan 1974 : Ryan 1975 : Tanana 1976 : Ryan 1977 : Ryan 1978 : Ryan 1979 : Ryan 1980 : Barker 1981 : Barker 1982 : Bannister 1983 : Morris 1984 : Langston 1985 : Blyleven 1986 : Langston 1987 : Langston 1988 : Clemens 1989 : Ryan 1990 : Ryan 1991 : Clemens 1992 : R. Johnson 1993 : R. Johnson 1994 : R. Johnson 1995 : R. Johnson 1996 : Clemens 1997 : Clemens 1998 : Clemens 1999 : Martínez 2000 : Martínez 2001 : Nomo 2002 : Martínez 2003 : Loaiza 2004 : Santana 2005 : Santana 2006 : Santana 2007 : Kazmir 2008 : Burnett 2009 : Verlander 2010 : Weaver 2011 : Verlander 2012 : Verlander 2013 : Darvish 2014 : Price 2015 : Sale 2016 : Verlander 2017 : Sale National League season strikeout leaders 1876 : Devlin 1877 : Bond 1878 : Bond 1879 : Ward 1880 : Corcoran 1881 : Derby 1882 : Radbourn 1883 : Whitney 1884 : Radbourn 1885 : Clarkson 1886 : Baldwin 1887 : Clarkson 1888 : Keefe 1889 : Clarkson 1890 : Rusie 1891 : Rusie 1892 : Hutchinson 1893 : Rusie 1894 : Rusie 1895 : Rusie 1896 : Young 1897 : McJames & Seymour 1898 : Seymour 1899 : Hahn 1900 : Hahn 1901 : Hahn 1902 : Willis 1903 : Mathewson 1904 : Mathewson 1905 : Mathewson 1906 : Beebe 1907 : Mathewson 1908 : Mathewson 1909 : Overall 1910 : Moore 1911 : Marquard 1912 : Alexander 1913 : Seaton 1914 : Alexander 1915 : Alexander 1916 : Alexander 1917 : Alexander 1918 : Vaughn 1919 : Vaughn 1920 : Alexander 1921 : Grimes 1922 : Vance 1923 : Vance 1924 : Vance 1925 : Vance 1926 : Vance 1927 : Vance 1928 : Vance 1929 : Malone 1930 : Hallahan 1931 : Hallahan 1932 : Dean 1933 : Dean 1934 : Dean 1935 : Dean 1936 : Mungo 1937 : Hubbell 1938 : Bryant 1939 : Passeau & Walters 1940 : Higbe 1941 : Vander Meer 1942 : Vander Meer 1943 : Vander Meer 1944 : Voiselle 1945 : Roe 1946 : Schmitz 1947 : Blackwell 1948 : Brecheen 1949 : Spahn 1950 : Spahn 1951 : Newcombe & Spahn 1952 : Spahn 1953 : Roberts 1954 : Roberts 1955 : Jones 1956 : Jones 1957 : Sanford 1958 : Jones 1959 : Drysdale 1960 : Drysdale 1961 : Koufax 1962 : Drysdale 1963 : Koufax 1964 : Veale 1965 : Koufax 1966 : Koufax 1967 : Bunning 1968 : Gibson 1969 : Jenkins 1970 : Seaver 1971 : Seaver 1972 : Carlton 1973 : Seaver 1974 : Carlton 1975 : Seaver 1976 : Seaver 1977 : Niekro 1978 : Richard 1979 : Richard 1980 : Carlton 1981 : Valenzuela 1982 : Carlton 1983 : Carlton 1984 : Gooden 1985 : Gooden 1986 : Scott 1987 : Ryan 1988 : Ryan 1989 : DeLeón 1990 : Cone 1991 : Cone 1992 : Smoltz 1993 : Rijo 1994 : Benes 1995 : Nomo 1996 : Smoltz 1997 : Schilling 1998 : Schilling 1999 : Johnson 2000 : Johnson 2001 : Johnson 2002 : Johnson 2003 : Wood 2004 : Johnson 2005 : Peavy 2006 : Harang 2007 : Peavy 2008 : Lincecum 2009 : Lincecum 2010 : Lincecum 2011 : Kershaw 2012 : Dickey 2013 : Kershaw 2014 : Cueto & Strasburg 2015 : Kershaw 2016 : Scherzer 2017 : Scherzer Texas Rangers Formerly the Washington Senators Based in Arlington, Texas ( Dallas -- Fort Worth metroplex ) Franchise Expansion draft History ( as Washington Senators ) Seasons Team records No - hitters Awards winners and league leaders Broadcasters Owners and executives Managers Players First - round draft picks Opening Day starting pitchers Ballparks Griffith Stadium RFK Stadium Arlington Stadium Globe Life Park in Arlington Globe Life Field Spring training Pompano Beach Municipal Stadium Ranger Stadium Surprise Stadium Culture and lore Continental League Captain ( mascot ) Ten Cent Beer Night Kenny Rogers ' perfect game 2012 AL Wild Card Game 2013 AL Wild Card tie - breaker 2015 ALDS Game 5 Rivalries Houston Astros Retired numbers 7 26 34 42 Key personnel Owners : Ray Davis & Bob R. Simpson General Manager : Jon Daniels Manager : Jeff Banister Team Captain : Adrián Beltré Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Buddy Bell Juan González Rusty Greer Tom Grieve Toby Harrah Mark Holtz Charlie Hough Ferguson Jenkins Eric Nadel Johnny Oates Iván Rodríguez Kenny Rogers Jeff Russell Nolan Ryan Tom Schieffer Rubén Sierra Jim Sundberg Tom Vandergriff John Wetteland Michael Young Wild card berths ( 1 ) 2012 American League West Division titles ( 7 ) 1998 1999 2011 2015 2016 American League championships ( 2 ) 2011 Minor league affiliates AAA : Round Rock Express AA : Frisco RoughRiders A Adv. : Down East Wood Ducks A : Hickory Crawdads Short A : Spokane Indians Rookie : AZL Rangers DSL Rangers Seasons ( 58 ) 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990s 1993 1998 1999 2000s 2010s 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Principal owners of the Texas Rangers franchise Washington Senators ( 1961 -- 71 ) Elwood Richard Quesada James Johnson & James Lemon James Lemon Bob Short Texas Rangers ( 1972 -- present ) Bob Short Brad Corbett Eddie Chiles George W. Bush Tom Hicks Chuck Greenberg & Nolan Ryan Nolan Ryan Ray Davis and Bob R. Simpson New York Mets 1969 World Series champions 1 Bobby Pfeil 3 Bud Harrelson 4 Ron Swoboda 5 Ed Charles 6 Al Weis 7 Ed Kranepool 9 J.C. Martin 10 Duffy Dyer 11 Wayne Garrett 12 Ken Boswell 15 Jerry Grote 17 Rod Gaspar 20 Tommie Agee 21 Cleon Jones 22 Donn Clendenon ( World Series MVP ) 24 Art Shamsky 27 Don Cardwell 30 Nolan Ryan 31 Jack DiLauro 34 Cal Koonce 36 Jerry Koosman 39 Gary Gentry 41 Tom Seaver 42 Ron Taylor 43 Jim McAndrew 45 Tug McGraw Manager 14 Gil Hodges Coaches 8 Yogi Berra 52 Joe Pignatano 54 Rube Walker 53 Eddie Yost Regular season National League Championship Series Los Angeles Angels retired numbers 11 Jim Fregosi 26 Gene Autry 29 Rod Carew 30 Nolan Ryan 50 Jimmie Reese Houston Astros retired numbers 5 Jeff Bagwell 7 Craig Biggio 24 Jimmy Wynn 25 José Cruz 32 Jim Umbricht 33 Mike Scott 34 Nolan Ryan 40 Don Wilson 49 Larry Dierker Texas Rangers retired numbers 7 Iván Rodríguez 26 Johnny Oates 34 Nolan Ryan Members of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Charlie Hough Johnny Oates Nolan Ryan Jim Sundberg Buddy Bell Ferguson Jenkins Tom Vandergriff Mark Holtz John Wetteland Rusty Greer Toby Harrah Rubén Sierra Tom Grieve Kenny Rogers Eric Nadel Iván Rodríguez Tom Schieffer Juan González Jeff Russell Michael Young Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1999 BBWAA Vote George Brett ( 98.2 % ) Nolan Ryan ( 98.8 % ) Robin Yount ( 77.5 % ) Veterans Committee Orlando Cepeda Nestor Chylak Frank Selee Joe Williams J.G. Taylor Spink Award Bob Stevens Ford C. Frick Award Arch McDonald Members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Pitchers Alexander Bender Blyleven M. Brown R. Brown Bunning Carlton Chesbro Clarkson Cooper Coveleski Cummings Day Dean Dihigo Drysdale Eckersley Faber Feller Fingers Ford B. Foster Galvin B. Gibson Glavine Gomez Gossage Grimes Grove Haines Hoffman Hoyt Hubbell Hunter Jenkins R. Johnson W. Johnson Joss Keefe Koufax Lemon Lyons Maddux Marichal Marquard Martínez Mathewson McGinnity Méndez Morris Newhouser Nichols Niekro Paige Palmer Pennock Perry Plank Radbourn Rixey Roberts Rogan Ruffing Rusie Ryan Seaver H. Smith Smoltz Spahn Sutter Sutton Vance Waddell Walsh Welch Wilhelm J. Williams Willis Wynn Young Catchers Bench Berra Bresnahan Campanella Carter Cochrane Dickey Ewing Ferrell Fisk J. Gibson Hartnett Lombardi Mackey Piazza Rodríguez Santop Schalk First basemen Anson Bagwell Beckley Bottomley Brouthers Cepeda Chance Connor Foxx Gehrig Greenberg G. Kelly Killebrew Leonard McCovey Mize Murray Pérez Sisler Suttles Taylor Terry Thomas Thome Second basemen Alomar Biggio Carew E. Collins Doerr Evers Fox Frisch Gehringer Gordon Grant Herman Hornsby Lajoie Lazzeri Mazeroski McPhee Morgan J. Robinson Sandberg Schoendienst Third basemen Baker Boggs Brett J. Collins Dandridge J. Johnson Jones Kell Lindstrom Mathews Molitor B. Robinson Santo Schmidt Traynor J. Wilson D. White Shortstops Aparicio Appling Bancroft Banks Boudreau Cronin Davis T. Jackson Jennings Larkin Lloyd Maranville Reese Ripken Jr. Rizzuto Sewell O. Smith Tinker Trammell Vaughan Wagner Wallace Ward Wells Yount Outfielders Aaron Ashburn Averill Bell Brock W. Brown Burkett Carey Charleston Clarke Clemente Cobb Combs Crawford Cuyler Dawson Delahanty DiMaggio Doby Duffy Flick Goslin Griffey Jr. Guerrero Gwynn Hafey Hamilton Heilmann Henderson Hill Hooper Irvin R. Jackson Kaline Keeler Kelley K. Kelly Kiner Klein Mantle Manush Mays T. McCarthy Medwick Musial O'Rourke Ott Puckett Raines J. Rice S. Rice F. Robinson Roush Ruth Simmons Slaughter Snider Speaker Stargell Stearnes Thompson Torriente L. Waner P. Waner Wheat B. Williams T. Williams H. Wilson Winfield Yastrzemski Youngs Managers Alston Anderson Cox Durocher Hanlon Harris Herzog Huggins La Russa Lasorda López Mack J. McCarthy McGraw McKechnie W. Robinson Selee Southworth Stengel Torre Weaver D. Williams Executives / pioneers Barrow Bulkeley Cartwright Chadwick Chandler Comiskey Dreyfuss R. Foster Frick Giles Gillick Griffith Harridge Hulbert B. Johnson Kuhn Landis La. MacPhail Le. MacPhail Manley O'Malley Pompez Posey Rickey Ruppert Schuerholz Selig Spalding Veeck Weiss S. White Wilkinson G. Wright H. Wright Yawkey Umpires Barlick Chylak Conlan Connolly Evans Harvey Hubbard Klem McGowan O'Day Sporting News Sportsman / Pro Athlete of the Year 1968 : Denny McLain 1969 : Tom Seaver 1970 : John Wooden 1971 : Lee Trevino 1972 : Charlie Finley 1973 : O.J. Simpson 1974 : Lou Brock 1975 : Archie Griffin 1976 : Larry O'Brien 1977 : Steve Cauthen 1978 : Ron Guidry 1979 : Willie Stargell 1980 : George Brett 1981 : Wayne Gretzky 1982 : Whitey Herzog 1983 : Bowie Kuhn 1984 : Peter Ueberroth 1985 : Pete Rose 1986 : Larry Bird 1987 : None 1988 : Jackie Joyner - Kersee 1989 : Joe Montana 1990 : Nolan Ryan 1991 : Michael Jordan 1992 : Mike Krzyzewski 1993 : Cito Gaston & Pat Gillick 1994 : Emmitt Smith 1995 : Cal Ripken Jr. 1996 : Joe Torre 1997 : Mark McGwire 1998 : Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa 1999 : New York Yankees 2000 : Marshall Faulk & Kurt Warner 2001 : Curt Schilling 2002 : Tyrone Willingham 2003 : Dick Vermeil & Jack McKeon 2004 : Tom Brady 2005 : Matt Leinart 2006 : Dwyane Wade 2007 : Tom Brady 2008 : Eli Manning 2009 : Mariano Rivera 2010 : Roy Halladay 2011 : Aaron Rodgers 2012 : LeBron James Los Angeles Angels Opening Day starting pitchers Tim Belcher Bert Blyleven George Brunet Dean Chance Bartolo Colón Chuck Finley Ken Forsch Dave Frost Eli Grba Ken Hill Bruce Kison Mark Langston John Lackey Ken McBride Jim McGlothlin Andy Messersmith Fred Newman Ricky Nolasco Garrett Richards Nolan Ryan Joe Saunders Scott Schoeneweis Frank Tanana Jarrod Washburn Jered Weaver Mike Witt Clyde Wright Geoff Zahn Houston Astros Opening Day starting pitchers Bob Bruce Mike Cuellar Larry Dierker Doug Drabek Scott Elarton Turk Farrell Scott Feldman Pete Harnisch Ken Johnson Dallas Keuchel Wade Miller Brett Myers Joe Niekro Bud Norris Roy Oswalt Shane Reynolds J.R. Richard Dave Roberts Wandy Rodríguez Nolan Ryan Mike Scott Bobby Shantz Justin Verlander Don Wilson Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers Jim Bibby Bert Blyleven Dick Bosman Kevin Brown John Burkett Bennie Daniels Yu Darvish Dick Donovan Ryan Drese Scott Feldman Yovani Gallardo José Guzmán Cole Hamels Matt Harrison Rick Helling Ken Hill Charlie Hough Ferguson Jenkins Craig Lefferts Colby Lewis Jon Matlack Kevin Millwood Phil Ortega Claude Osteen Chan Ho Park Camilo Pascual Gaylord Perry Kenny Rogers Pete Richert Don Rudolph Nolan Ryan Tanner Scheppers Mike Smithson Ismael Valdez C.J. Wilson Texas Rangers team presidents Mike Stone Tom Schieffer Jim Lites Michael Cramer Jeff Cogen Nolan Ryan VIAF : 112717657 LCCN : n50022017 NDL : 00474239 SNAC : w6r22361 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nolan_Ryan&oldid=834265603 '' Categories : 1947 births Living people American League All - Stars American League strikeout champions California Angels players Greenville Mets players Houston Astros players American people of Irish descent Jacksonville Suns players Major League Baseball executives Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Texas Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Major League Baseball team presidents Marion Mets players Minor league baseball executives National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees National League All - Stars National League ERA champions National League strikeout champions New York Mets players People from Alvin, Texas Sportspeople from Houston People from Williamson County, Texas Texas Rangers players Texas Rangers executives Texas Rangers owners Texas Republicans Williamsport Mets players Winter Haven Mets players Businesspeople from Texas Ranchers from Texas American bankers American chief executives of professional sports organizations American sportsmen American non-fiction writers Hidden categories : Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Webarchive template wayback links Use mdy dates from September 2015 Articles with hCards BLP articles lacking sources from May 2014 All BLP articles lacking sources Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Italiano Latviešu Malagasy 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Simple English Svenska Winaray 中文 7 more Edit links This page was last edited on 4 April 2018, at 19 : 58. 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Question: where did nolan ryan go to high school
Answer: Alvin High School