From the ages of 8-18 he learned a strong work ethic, working with his dad who besides working for a local oil company was also a Houston Post distributor. Young Nolan rolled up & tossed the news papers, strengthening that gifted arm.
With the arrival of major league baseball in Houston, Ryan was able to go watch games & it was there he was first mesmerized by the pitching of Sandy Koufax. In high school the Ryan stories are legendery, one tells of a game in the first inning where he cracked the lead off mans batting helmet, hit the number two man & broke his arm & had the third hitter refuse to enter the batters box. When he did give in he struck out on three pitches.
At first, his fast ball was just over 90 miles an hour, but over the next two years he gained more velocity and threw even harder. He was assigned to the Marion Mets in Virginia in the Rookie League. In 1967 he was 17-4 striking out over 300 batters first in A ball Greenville, then AA Williamsport & finally in New York. At Greenville he went 17-2 with 272 strikeouts in 183 innings of work.
He made his MLB debut at Shea Stadium on September 11th, 1966 coming in relief of Dick Selma in the 6th inning. The catcher behind the plate was John Stephenson who had come in to replace Jerry Grote. The first batter he face was Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis who was also his first career strikeout victim. Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews stepped in and watched a Ryan fast ball whiz by him; he looked at Stephenson saying “what the hell was that?” Mathews was strike out number two. The Mets lost to the Braves 8-2, with Ryan getting no decision. Ryan also gave up his first career HR that day to non other than Joe Torre.
He returned to the Mets staff in 1968 & got to start the fourth game of the season against the Houston Astros. On that day he held the Astros hitless through five innings. He pitched into the 7th inning, leaving due to a blister, allowing no runs on just three hits, while striking out eight. He pitched well in his next outing, two runs in 7 1/3 innings but took a loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In May he won three straight starts; he beat the Phillies striking out ten in a 3-0 win. Next he tossed a complete game three hitter in St. Louis against the reigning World Champion Cardinals then he struckout 14 Reds pitching a four hit 3-2 win at Shea Stadium.
At this point he was 4-2 with one of the league's best ERA's at 1.22 & among the top in strike outs as well. But the rest of the year didn't go so well, as he went 2-7 the rest of the way. In the first game of a June 18th doubleheader he lost a tough 3-2 nine inning outing to Houston's Denny Lemaster. Ryan struck out twelve Astros in the game but walked seven. He missed all of August with a blister problem & became famous for a solution that involved soaking his fingers in pickle brine. He returned in September to pitch just three games in relief. He ended up 6-9 with a 3.09 ERA, 134 strike outs in 134 innings averaging a strike out an inning, in 21 games. Control was still an issue; as he walked 75 batters, threw seven wild pitches, hit four batters and allowed 12 HRs.
The Ryan’s were friends with the Koosman's, Jerry & Lavonne. Koosman was also a farm boy from a small town so the two couples sould relate. Ruth Ryan & Nancy Seaver also became good friends just like their Hall of Fame husbands. The Seaver's certainly were not wild party goers either, but they did enjoy the museums, restaurants & arts New York has to offer. Nolan was featured in the May 31st 1968 addition of Life magazine as America was taking notice of what Nation League hitters were calling an arm that threw harder than Sandy Koufax.
At the end of April he earned two victories in relief pitching 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball each time. In the second of those wins in Montreal he struck out seven Expos. He got his first start of the year on May 3rd, earning no decision at Wrigley Field, allowing just a run in six innings of work against the Cubs. He would miss a month of action returning to a relief role in mid June. On the next home stand he was back as a starter, beating the St. Louis Cardinals to go to 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA.
Ryan then earned no decision against the Philadelphia Phillies while striking out 10 batters in just six innings. He took his first loss on July 1st, at St. Louis where he walked seven batters in 5.2 innings of work.
He got a start on August 5th in Cincinnati beating the Reds, with a complete game one run, seven strikeout performance. At the beginning of September he won two games in a four day stretch at Shea Stadium, helping the Mets catch the Chicago Cubs in the pennant race.
Ryan finished the 1969 season at 6-3 with a 3.53 ERA, two complete games & one save. He had 92 strikeouts, and it would be the last time until his last season in 1993 that he would not pass the 100 strike out mark. His control was better in 89 innings he still walked 53 batters only hit one batter & threw just one wild pitch.
Ryan then gave up a two run HR to Orlando Cepeda giving the Braves the lead. But it didn't last long, Nolan Ryan led off the 5th with a base hit & then Wayne Garrett hit a two run HR off future 1973 Met, George Stone.
The Mets never looked back they would score a total of seven runs & Ryan was spectacular from there on the mound. He allowed the two runs on three hits with two walks & struck out seven Braves. In the top of the 9th inning, future Mets Bob Aspromonte flew out & Felix Millan grounded to short.
In the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, Ryan once again came in to relieve Gary Gentry, this time in Game #3 at Shea Stadium. He walked into a bases loaded jam in the 7th inning with the Mets still ahead 4-0. Baltimore's Paul Blair ripped a screaming liner to right center field. Met fans held their breath, but once again they saw Tommie Agee come up with one of the greatest catches in World Series history. It was the second spectacular catch Agee made on the day, making it all look easy. Ryan took a sigh of relief & walked off the mound.
He returned in the 8th to retire the side in order, striking out both Boog Powell & Brooks Robinson. In the bottom of the 8th Ed Kranepool hit a HR to make it 5-0 Mets. In the top of the 9th Ryan got into a bases loaded jam with two outs, Gil Hodges paced the dugout but stuck with Ryan& he got Paul Blair to go down looking. The Mets now had a two games to one lead & were estatic.The Amazing Mets went on to win the World Series, it would be the only time Ryan would ever play in the Fall Classic. He enjoyed some of the success that came with it, like appearing shyly on the Ed Sullivan show to sing " You Gotta Have Heat" with the entire '69 team. But the simple Ryan wanted to just go back to Texas & have a quiet off season with his wife.
In his first three games of 1970 he only allowed two earned runs in 26 innings. On May 24th after two losses where he was hit hard, he pitched another gem this time a two hit eight strikeout performance against the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium. But Ryan's inconsistency haunted him again as walks & allot of earned runs had him at 6-6 by August. He had a terrible August going 1-4 with a blown save, allowing twelve earned runs in 29 innings. He went 1-4 with a blown save that month pitching in both relief & as a starter. He made eight appearances in September, going 1-1 with a save.
In 1971 Ryan begn the year with two appearances out of the Mets bullpen. In his first start he shut out the Cardinals for six innings in St. Louis earning the victory as the Mets scored seven runs. On May 11th he got his fourth win of the season tossing a three hitter against the Astros. On May 29th in the second game of a twin bill at San Diego, Ryan struck out a career high up to that point 16 batters, as he threw a one run four hitter.
He then lost three straight in June but only gave up two runs in three of those starts as the Mets were shut out both times. His ERA was still under two at 1.78 on June 15th, & then he won two more games to close out the month at 8-4. Ryan had a terrible summer going 1-7 through July & August with a five game losing streak. In three of those starts he never got past the second inning, but by the same respect in four starts over the two months he allowed two runs or less never earning a win.
He ended the season 10-14 with a 3.97 ERA 137 strikeouts & 116 walks in 152 innings. He pitched in his Mets career highs of 30 games & 26 starts, tossing three complete games one shut out, allowing 125 hits & a career high 15 hit batters.
By the end of 1971 Ryan was becoming very frustrated. Between having limited success on the mound and with his unhappiness in New York City, he told his wife he was considering retirement. Although Ryan was the hardest thrower in the league he was not as effective as Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman or even Gary Gentry on his own staff, therefore Manager Gil Hodges did not give him any extra time. Neither did his pitching coach Rube Walker, they basically gave him the ball & told him to throw it as hard as he could.
By September the Mets had been out of the race and the team was changing since the 1969 Amazing's won the World Series. The Mets finished third at 83-79 15 games back of the World Champion Pirates. By the next season Donn Clendenon, Ron Swoboda, Art Shamsky, Ron Taylor & of course Nolan Ryan would all be gone. Tommie Agee & Gary Gentry would be in their last seasons as Mets. Maybe the biggest change of all would be the shocking death of manager Gil Hodges at the end of Spring Training.
During that off season, on December 10th, 1971 the Mets made the worst trade in their history & one of the worst in baseball history; Nolan Ryan was traded along with Leory Stanton, Don Rose & Frank Estrada to the California Angels for former All Star Jim Fregosi. In 1972 Fregosi would bat .232 with 5 HRs 32 RBIs in 101 games played, by mid July 1973 he would be gone after batting .234. In his Mets career from 1966-1971 Ryan pitched in 105 games going 29-38 with 74 starts, 493 strike outs & 344 walks in 510 innings pitched. He also recorded two saves had 13 complete games & two shut outs.
Ryan credits Tom Seaver as helping him develop into a pitcher instead of just a flame thrower. He helped by changing his high leg kick and developing an over the top delivery, using more power from the legs. Nolan Ryan went on to become one of baseball greatest pitchers of all time.
In Houston he won two strike out titles, two ERA titles and won 16 games twice getting to two more post seasons. In 1989 he went across Texas & signed with the Rangers pitching there for five seasons until he was 46 years old. In Texas he won two more strike out titles & was a 16 game winner in 1989.
He was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in 1999 recieving 89% of the vote. In his career he made eight All Star teams, won the 1977 TSN Pitcher of the Year Award but never won a Cy Young Award. Nolan Ryan will always be part of New York Mets history.
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