
Originally Posted by
stevenash
No love for Nolan Ryan?
Nobody is going to strikeout 5714 again.
Yeah, you can argue the 3 ERA doesn't stack up to the other all time greats, he did manage to get the walk problem under control the last half of his storied career and wound up with a pretty good 1.25 WH/IP
7 no hitters, holder of 53 different records. Come on, there'll never be another Nolan Ryan.
Ryan was big time, he was such a gamer, always wanted the ball, no fear, no situation or match up feared him.
I remember his last game.
It was in the Kingdome, 1993.
Ryan said he warmed up tight.
In the first inning of that game against the Mariners on 9/22/93 Ryan couldn't get an out.
He loaded the bases for Dann Howitt who hit a grand slam, the next batter was Dave Magadan, Ryan went to a 2-0 count, on ball two Ryan heard a pop in his elbow, he said it burnt like hell, Ryan said he knew he was never going to pitch again, he threw one last pitch, just to make sure to Magadan, it was a 82 MPH fastball, but that was it, he came off the mound with the lower half of his arm dangling. Rangers pitching coaches knew it, manager knew it.
The Mariner fans in the Kingdome knew it too.
As Ryan left the mound every fan, man, woman and child rose to their feet, gave Nolan Ryan a standing ovation that seemed to last forever.
His last pitch, at age 46, for all intents without an elbow that was blown out was 82 MPH.