page_title: Nolan Ryan
section_title: Early life
hierarchical_section_title: Nolan Ryan / Early life
caption_attribution_description: English: Nolan Ryan Statue -- Alvin, Texas
context_page_description: Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr., nicknamed The Ryan Express, is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher, previous chief executive officer of the Texas Rangers, and previous executive advisor to the Houston Astros.
  Over a record 27-year career, Ryan pitched for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
  Ryan was a right-handed pitcher who consistently threw pitches that were clocked above 100 miles per hour. He maintained this velocity throughout his pitching career. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.
  Ryan had a lifetime record of 324–292 and was an eight-time MLB All-Star. His 5,714 career strikeouts is an MLB record 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 MLB history. Ryan's lifetime batting average allowed of .204 is also a major league record.
context_section_description: Ryan was born in Refugio, Texas, a small town located just south of Victoria in the southern part of the state. Ryan was 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, Texas in Refugio County, until they moved to Alvin, Texas 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.
  In junior high school, Ryan could throw a softball over 100 yards. After ninth grade, Ryan quit playing football after a tackle and fumble caused by future NFL running back Norm Bulaich made him decide to focus on baseball.
caption: Nolan Ryan Statue -- Alvin, Texas
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