A look back at Nolan Ryan’s seven career no-hitters

Lynn Nolan Ryan was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first eligible ballot in 1999. The big right-hander was named on over 98% of the ballots (491 of 497) during that voting process.

The New York Mets’ 12^th-round selection during the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft at 295th overall, few would have envisioned the storied career that was about to unfold when Ryan made his big-league debut. In September 1966 at age 19, Ryan was called up and enjoyed a cup of coffee with two appearances (one start) for the Mets.

Returning in 1968, Ryan spent four more seasons in New York. He made 103 appearances (73 starts) during those years, going 29-37 with a 3.51 ERA, a 1.391 WHIP, and a 3.58 FIP. He allowed just 364 hits over 507 innings. But his 487/341 strikeout/walk ratio belied nothing particularly special to come.

The Mets included Ryan as part of a four-player package in a trade to the California Angels for 29-year-old perennial All-Star shortstop Jim Fregosi on Dec. 10, 1971. It was with the Angels that Ryan began to display the dominance that was his calling card for over two decades to come.

Ryan finished with 324 wins over a 27-year career. He was an eight-time All-Star, leading baseball in strikeouts eight times and amassing 5,714 career strikeouts to become the all-time MLB leader in that category.

While he never won a Cy Young Award, Ryan finished eighth, second, and third in the voting during his first three years with the Angels. He finished third again in 1977 and finished among the top 10 of the voting four more times over the course of his career. Ryan also received Most Valuable Player votes in seven seasons.

Along with the strikeouts, another sign of Ryan’s dominance was his .204 career batting average against and his miniscule .298 slugging percentage against.

And then there were the no-hitters. Seven of them in all, more than any pitcher in big league history. Ryan also tossed a dozen one-hitters, tied with Bob Feller for the most in history, and 18 two-hitters. His propensity for walking batters precluded him from ever tossing a perfect game.

Every Ryan start was a happening, a potential no-hitter for those in attendance. Let’s take a brief look at each of his seven no-nos that Ryan delivered.

May 15, 1973, at Royals Stadium in Kansas City. Ryan won 3-0, dominating the hosts by striking out 12 against three walks. In contrast, the two pitchers who appeared for the Royals, starter Bruce Dal Canton and reliever Gene Garber, struck out no one.

July 15, 1973, at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Exactly two months after that first no-hitter, Ryan did it again. This time he struck out 17 of his hosts while walking four during a 6-0 victory.

September 28, 1974, at Anaheim Stadium. His first home no-hitter for the Angels came in front of a small crowd of just under 11,000 fans in his final start of the season. Ryan was particularly wild on the hill this Saturday, walking eight Minnesota Twins. But he also struck out 15.

June 1, 1975, at Anaheim Stadium. His fourth no-hitter in three seasons was his last with the Angels and his least dominant. Ryan walked four Baltimore Orioles while striking out nine.

Sept. 26, 1981, at the Astrodome in Houston. In November 1979, just shy of his 33^rd birthday, Ryan signed as a free agent with the Astros. In his penultimate start of the strike-shortened 1981 campaign, Ryan struck out 11 Los Angeles Dodgers batters while walking three.

June 11, 1990, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. A free agent once again in December 1988, this time at age 41, Ryan signed with the Texas Rangers. In the middle of his second year there at age 43, he struck out 14 Oakland Athletics, walking just two.

May 1, 1991, at Arlington Stadium. The visiting Toronto Blue Jays were shouting “May Day!” during what was his final no-hitter. It came in front of more than 33,000 fans on a Wednesday night, with Ryan striking out 16 and walking just two. It may have been his closest bid for perfection. Ryan walked Kelly Gruber on a full count with two outs in the top of the first inning and then Joe Carter on another full count with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.

Ryan is one of just six pitchers in the Hall of Fame who finished with more strikeouts than innings pitched. His No. 30 with the Angels and No. 34 with both the Astros and Rangers have been retired, making him one of just two players, along with Frank Robinson, to have a uniform number retired by three different organizations.

Longevity helped Ryan amass his wins and strikeouts totals. His 27 seasons are the most of any player in modern MLB history and he is one of just 29 players to appear in four decades. But the combination of dominance and health allowed him to stick around all those years. At age 43 in 1990, Ryan threw 204 innings with Texas in 1990 and led the American League in strikeouts with 232.

A pitcher for the ages, Nolan Ryan was as dominant an arm as the baseball world has ever seen. His ability to overpower the opposition was legendary as evidenced by his strikeout totals and by the seven no-hitters.