Posted on 02/06/2016 3:39:20 AM PST by Fai Mao
What a great video
Better 7 punches to the head rather than a 100 mph fastball.
Nolan Ryan was a bad ass. 5714 K record WILL NEVER be broken, and the 7 no hitters probably never be broken.
Lol. Love this video, haven’t seen it for a couple years. Thanks.
Speaking of Ryan, I was at his last of 7 no hitters, thrown in Arlington Texas at the old ballpark, in the early 90’s. It was electrifying. He struck out 16 and the last pitch past Alomar was a 96MPH fastball at age 44. Still have the ticket stubs!
Not really punched with the kind of authority that Ryan was known to throw balls. Like many great pitchers he was a head hunter. He let the batter know whose plate it was.
He’s up there. One of the best.
Took a picture (behind home) of the exact moment of Ryan's 4000th K at the Dome. Still have that picture and stub too.
I'm a big fan of Ryan, hard to imagine an arm holding up all those years and still able to push a baseball 96 MPH at 44!!
I'd get field level seats and go down to watch him warm up before every game in the bull pen, whcih back then was outside the foul lines next to the seats.
Seeing a baseball go that fast, and the sound it made in the catchers's mitt was amazing. They say he threw 101 mph at his best.
Now they have guy throwing 104 MPH (Chapman) I don't see how a batter can even see the ball crossing he plate.
Pitchers aren’t know for being great hitters. Don Drusdale, Rick Rhoden, Babe Ruth and Nolan Ryan are exceptions.
In the latter part of his career he detested batters trying to lay down a bunt. During a radio interview after he retired, he was asked about it by Dan Patrick and Rob Dibble (another bad ass.) The question implied that whenever a batter failed to get a bunt down on the first attempt the next pitch was usually “chin” music. He replied that was because he wasn’t about to allow any hitter to, “Make this old man field his position.”
Everybody knows knows about the career no-hitters and strikeouts but he also still holds the single season strikeout record (383) and is tied with Bob Feller for career 1 hitters with 12.
In his last start he suffered a torn ulnar lateral ligament which was never repaired. Later he would briefly become an assistant baseball coach at TCU when sons Reid and Reese played for TCU. Occasionally he threw team batting practice and was still able to reach 90 mph.
Ventura said afterward, “Aw, he just gave me a couple of nuggies”.
;^)
Nolan raises cattle, not owns cattle, he raises cattle. And at that time he was into bulldogging for fun.
His 1987 season with Houston was bizarre. He led the league with a 2.76 ERA and 270 strikeouts, but only had an 8-16 record.
Yeah it is. I don’t know where he got the zip for that one to end the game but the ball was in the catcher’s mitt before R. Alomar moved the bat. More remarkable as he had already struck out 15 and had gone to 3-2 counts on quite a few along the way. He just missed the perfecto too, there was an error I believe and a walk or two that night.
Even though Ryan had pitched in big market areas, I don’t think he got the acclaim he should have.
Had me laughing.
I was at the record setting 7th no-hitter.
Best baseball game I ever atended.
Starting in high school pitchers are taught to throw high and in if they think a bunt is coming. It's very difficult to make contact with that and if the batter does it's usually a foul or pop-up.
My nephew has my stub.
Bob Feller in his day was reputed to have a 100+ fast ball. Few could hit it but one player, Joe DiMaggio owned him.
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