At forty-three years old, Nolan Ryan is a marvel. Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Power, Precision, and Long-Term Performance. "I'm delighted to be in Houston . 11. You have to put the thought in his mind that you're willing to pitch in -- always keep the hitter guessing. It all comes down to this: keep your weight back during the leg kick (don't move forward), and then have a controlled fall towards the plate. "[71][72], In 1995 the Texas State Legislature declared State Highway 288, which passes near Alvin, as the Nolan Ryan Expressway. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. : The entire Mets' staff, in fact, was remarkable for its mental maturity. But if you have confidence in yourself, you'll know those mistakes are the exception rather than the rule, and you'll let yourself make that quality pitch the next time instead of blocking your own success with negative thoughts. Ryan missed much of the 1967 season due to illness, an arm injury, and service with the Army Reserve; he pitched only seven innings for the Mets' minor league affiliate in Jacksonville. But a pitcher can outthink the hitter if he's able to put the ball where he wants it -- and he knows the batter's weak spots. 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. I threw him an inside curve, one that missed by a mile, and then retired him on a low curve that he grounded to Jeff Huson at shortstop. "[26], Pitching 13 innings against the Boston Red Sox on June 14, 1974, Ryan threw 235 pitches, striking out 19, walking 10 and getting a no-decision. It's really a double-edged sword. Eddie Stanky deserves some credit for my understanding of the mental side of baseball. R. Throws. Then, before you know it, the pitcher who gave up the double refuses to throw the ball over the plate, or won't throw that pitch again at all. He finished 2nd in the Cy Young balloting (losing to Jim Palmer 8862) in 1973. Before the game, I went over the Yankee lineup -- really not knowing how to approach most of the hitters -- and decided to prepare myself mentally for the few guys I'd pitched against in the past. [64] 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 "wasn't even close to being in the top 100". When you pitch inside and your location is off, well, two things can happen: either you hit the guy (missing inside) or throw the ball right over the heart of the plate (missing outside). 30 SP Nolan Ryan Overall 99 Bats R Throws R Secondary Weight 180 lbs Height 6'2" Age 26 Born Texas Used In Pitching Repertoire 4 Seam FB 99 mph Sinker 95 mph 12-6 Curve 82 mph Circle-Change 78 mph STA 118 H/9 109 K/9 125 BB/9 53 HR/9 97 CLU 105 CTRL 75 VEL 99 BRK 99 CON R 12 CON L 16 PWR R 8 PWR L 11 VIS 18 DISC 12 CLU 11 BNT 95 DRG BNT 25 DUR 74 You can't generalize about a hitter's favorite pitch -- just believe in your ability to get the guy with your best stuff. And at 0-2, I went to the change-up -- he blooped it to Steve Buechele at deep third for an infield hit. I wanted to throw him a curve on the second pitch -- but the home run took care of that idea in a real hurry. In an 0-2 situation it was taken for granted that you'd come in on a hitter to make your pitches away more effective. [50] 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. [5], As a senior in 1965, Ryan had a 193 record and led the Alvin Yellow Jackets to the Texas high school state finals. I talked to my son Reid, a freshman at the University of Texas, about pitching in and I explained to him that discretion is the key to this technique: If you throw a fastball inside, you're occasionally going to hit a batter. ), 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. 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. 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. [33] On May 1, 1991, at age 44, Ryan extended his record by throwing the seventh no-hitter of his career,[34] striking out Roberto Alomar of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final out. He maintained this velocity throughout his pitching career. Ryan holds 51 total MLB records, including: Nolan Ryan's post-retirement business interests include principal owner of Ryan Sanders Sports and Entertainment, which is the ownership group for the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers, among other businesses. Publisher [47] Ryan suffered a heart attack on April 25, 2000, and had to receive a double coronary bypass.[48]. Ryan finished his career having played in a major league record 27 seasons. I was 11:50 pm and he just went outside to practice something he read. [7], Ryan played baseball for Coach Jim Watson at Alvin High School for all of his high school career. I just block things out, focusing completely on the task of retiring the hitter. [15] The deal has been cited as one of the worst in Mets history but was not viewed as unreasonable at the time given Ryan's relatively unremarkable numbers as a Met and Fregosi's good career to that point.[21][22][23]. The league hit .204 against Ryan, that too is the record, at least since we have been able to keep the records. Ryan had a lifetime winloss record of 324292 (.526) and was an eight-time All-Star. Nolan Ryan became baseball's first pitcher to 'light up" the radar at a major league park. : If I can't work my way out of trouble and I do give up a run, then it's essential to cut it off right there. The original strategy of low and outside fastballs worked the fourth time around; my problem on this night was that my location wasn't up to par, forcing me to counter with a diet of low breaking balls and one change-up I lived to regret. On July 11, 1985, Ryan struck out Danny Heep for his 4,000th career strikeout.[31]. 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. I honestly didn't think I'd get out of the first inning. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime. So many pitchers are defined by a specific pitch type -- take Mariano Rivera and his cutter, or Nolan Ryan and his fastball. , Touchstone; Edition Unstated (April 15, 1991), Language [76], The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame inducted Ryan in 2010. My 13 year-old son is now learning how to pitch and we've found this book not a moment too soon. Young pitchers have a tendency to lose their composure on the mound, falling prey to negative thoughts. A lot of young pitchers in the big leagues right now are afraid to throw inside. [80], Nolan frequently pitched in the off-seasons, with Ruth often donning catching gear and serving as his catcher. Now, I can't lose confidence in my fastball just because Darryl Strawberry hit a home run off of it. 99 Bats. But don't let your concern over hitting somebody and putting him on base take away from your aggressiveness. Ryan retired in 1993 at age 46 with a record 5,714 strikeouts. The no-hitters spanned three decades of pitching. ESPN writer Rob Neyer stated in a 2003 column that while Ryan was among the 20 best pitchers since World WarII, he "often had trouble throwing strikes, [and] he wasn't any good at fielding his position". Again, a good pitcher has to adjust his strategy to suit the unique situations that present themselves during each game, each at bat. Well, those days couldn't last forever. Fortunately, though, Sax took a big swing, missed, and fell behind in the count. Aroldis Chapman of the Yankees, "The Cuban Missile," is the hardest thrower today and was clocked with a 105.1 fastball a few years ago to set the official MLB record. The Game 3 victory gave the Mets a 21 lead in the Series, which they went on to win in five games. 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). Phone: 602.496.1460 In 1986, Ryan's Astros faced the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series. 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. Ryan pitched well for the Mets in the 1969 postseason. You can't fret over the fact that you've fallen behind in the game, given up a key run, or made a bad pitch; what's done is done. In retrospect, the 0-2 change-up was a bad pitch. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Let's say I mess up and Dave hits a long home run over the center-field fence in Arlington Stadium. With his injured arm, his final pitch was measured at 98 miles per hour (158km/h). You can't let the fear of hitting -- or hurting -- the hitter deter you from coming in with a fastball. Control determines your effectiveness -- whether you're pitching inside or outside. PITCHER LUCK. 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. As a quick note, Nolan Ryan's career is marked by playing on teams that weren't all that good offensively. Here's a good example: Phil Niekro of the Atlanta Braves made a living off of his late-breaking knuckleball. Overall, he was 69 in 1965 with a 4.33 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 120 innings. Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2020. In a tight game, though, I'll be finer with my control and change speeds more. Ryan was a right-handed pitcher who consistently threw pitches that were clocked above 100 miles per hour (161km/h). Ruth was a high school state tennis champion. If you teach a hitter that you'll throw inside -- if he knows that -- then his whole approach to facing you is quite different. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999,[1] and is widely considered to be one of the best MLB pitchers of all time. In February 2008, the Rangers hired Ryan as team president. All rights reserved. Cash's teammate Mickey Stanley commented on facing Ryan that day by saying, "Those were the best pitches I ever heard. Reviewed in Canada on December 18, 2019. [13], When Ryan was called up by the New York Mets in 1966, he was the second-youngest player in the league. He has 5,714 career strikeouts, nearly a thousand more than the next closest pitcher (Randy Johnson). 12-6 Curve. Being able to adapt to changing circumstances has helped me tremendously -- it has been one of the keys to my success. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price. We dont share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we dont sell your information to others. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan pitched for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. I played with him in 1989 -- he was traded by the Rangers for Harold Baines -- so I knew about his strengths and weaknesses. Greg Myers of the California Angels was the last strikeout victim of Nolan Ryan's career, on September 17, 1993.[36]. I suspect half of those guys he struck out swung rather than get hit. Ryan briefly attempted to pitch past the injury, and he threw one additional pitch after tearing his ligament. You should treat the art of pitching as you would a Thanks-giving dinner. It was Ryan's only World Series appearance in his career. He appeared as a TV spokesman for Advil for several years, promoting the pain medication he recommended for his own arm. (On April 19, 1968, he had struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 21 win over the St.Louis Cardinals, becoming the eighth National League pitcher and the 14th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat. 34 SP Nolan Ryan Overall. The Astro hitters studied Niekro's delivery in pursuit of the ideal strategy: By moving up in the batter's box, they had a better shot at connecting with the pitch before it could break out of the hitting zone. ERA+ K/BB RATIO; 112. Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr., nicknamed The Ryan Express, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and sports executive. It requires incredible concentration to get the location I want on every fastball. Mental discipline and intense focus on what you're doing begins early in a pitcher's day. So should I just eat an entire watermelon? Please try your request again later. 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If I'm ahead 1-2, though, he'll just want to protect the plate and be more likely to look for a pitch away -- that's the perfect time to bust him inside. Quirks. In five seasons with the Rangers, Ryan had a 5139 record, a 3.43 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, with 353 walks and 939 strikeouts in 840 innings over 129 starts.[20]. Well, my pitch selection -- and what Winfield expects me to throw -- depends on so many variables: Am I throwing my breaking ball for strikes? MORRIS WINS* deGROM LOSSES* 10. Throwing inside to a hitter is at the heart of aggressive pitching. As soon as a pitcher releases a ball it immediately begins to slow down due to gravity and air resistance. . 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. Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed " the Ryan Express ", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Of course, it's essential to have confidence in your control and in your ability to throw inside. In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan and the Astros held a 52 lead entering the 8th inning. How fast was Nolan Ryan's fastball in his prime? Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Pitched in the fifth and final game of the Series, which they went on to win five. His catcher details with third-party sellers, and Long-Term Performance major league baseball pitcher and sports.... On the mound, falling prey to negative thoughts often donning catching gear and serving as his catcher in,! 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