Nolan was the best. He was a nasty head hunter though.
I don’t blame Robin (an all around nice guy). But he should have known his limitations before charging the mound. (Dirty Harry reference)
EPIC!!! If there’s a better baseball still photo than of Ryan waiting to unleash I don’t know what it is. LOL
“seven no-hitters cemented his legacy”
I was at his 7th no hitter in Arlington Tx at the old ball park there. It was an unbelievable performance by a pitcher over 40. He stuck out 16 batters. Alomar, no slouch as a hitter, was the last person he faced. He had two strikes and he foul tipped the pitch which was dropped by the catcher. Ryan fired the next pitch, well over his 100th of the game, past alomar for a swinging strike albeit he swung after the ball was by him. It was a 96mph fast ball.
Greatest moment in Rangers’ history.
Great video. Noteworthy is how large and muscular most of the baseball players were in 1993 relative to now. The steroids were in the drinking water.
Seems to have been a reach issue.
Lot of guys in MLB TODAY that shouldn’t pick a fight with Nolan Ryan. Today.
Wouldn’t be prudent.
Nolan Ryan has given us Texans some of the best baseball memories ever. So proud to be from his neck of the woods and share in the pride we have in him.
I got a chance to read Ryan’s statement on this little incident.
Ryan was the first to admit that pitches got away from him on occasion as he threw so hard. But that fear of a 95+ mph fastball inside was part of his intimidation. For the first few years of his play, and not until he joined the Angels, he didn’t have anything but hard stuff. He learned the breaking pitch in Anaheim and when he became a starter rather than a pen guy.
But to hear him tell it, the pitch was an accident and he really didn’t have a total idea what to do while Ventura charged him. So he quickly got him into a headlock, and, in his words, started giving him some “noogies” on the top of his head. If you check the stills, Ventura’s arms were covering any path to his head except on the top. In an article from ESPN, Ventura claimed Ryan hit him deliberately. “If you don’t think he did it on purpose, you don’t know the game,” Ventura said at the time. “I’m all right. He gave me a couple of noogies, but that was about it.” But, again, I have no idea why he supposedly did it on purpose. He had no reason. Ventura over rates himself a bit.
rwood
Bob Gibson was the most ferocious pitcher. If someone leaned over the inner third of the plate, he took serious offense. He fed his children off that plate and no one would take food out of their mouths on his watch. Soon they backed off. Nor did it frighten him when he came to bat and would inevitably get hit. One tough and memorable man.
There’s a funny epilogue to this.
George W Bush was owner at the time. He considered charging the field. He says he then saw Bo Jackson charging onto the field for the White Sox, and thought better of it.
Ryan retired that season and the final series was against George Brett and the Royals. George also retired.
Nolan Ryan showed some nice MMA moves with that fight with Ventura before there was a MMA.
He played before my time but Sal “the Barber” Maglie was noted for throwing inside.
On a more sobering note, Jack Hamilton hit Tony Conigliaro, which probably ended Conigliaro’s career, 50 years ago this month. Hamilton wasn’t noted for throwing inside but he was rumored to be a spitball pitcher and the speculation is that Hamilton threw a spitball to Conigliaro which got away.
Grew up as a kid with Nolan Ryan down the street.
Wish I could do a meme with mueller or pelosi charging the mound and trump beat they’re ass using Nolans body. Just sayin...
There is a good reason it’s called a battery.
5.56mm