50 years ago, Nolan Ryan turned in his biggest accomplishment on the mound
I never believed it.
Nolan Ryan was listed at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds. No, he wasn’t. He was more like 6-5, 250, wasn’t he?
As imposing a figure that ever stood on the pitcher’s mound, Ryan and intimidation were linked in baseball lore forever.
There’s even a documentary “Facing Nolan” where teammates and opponents gush over his dominance over so many seasons.
How fast was he? Forget the radar gun, he was flat-out fast.
Ask Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson.
“Every hitter likes fastballs just like everybody likes ice cream," Jackson said. "But you don't like it when someone's stuffing it into you by the gallon. That's how you feel when Nolan Ryan’s throwing balls by you. You just hope to mix in a walk so you can have a good night and only go 0-for-3.”
In all his glorious accomplishments, none, perhaps, stands out like Sept. 27, 1973, 50 years ago.
Needing 15 strikeouts to tie Sandy Koufax’s single season strikeout record of 382, Ryan took the mound for the Angels against the Minnesota Twins.
Through nine innings, Ryan had the 15 strikeouts to tie Sandy. But the game was tied and headed to extra innings. Ryan, of course, did not come out.
Years later Angel Manager Bobby Winkles, a long-time desert resident, told me: “If I tried to take Nolan out, he would say to me: ‘Bobby, look down at that bullpen, you see anyone down there better than me?’”
In the 11th inning (after nearly 200 pitches), Ryan struck out Rich Reese for his 16th of the game and 383rd of the season, a record that still stands over five decades.
Angel announcer Dick Enberg was on the call: ”One of the fine young men in the game just set an incredible record,” Enberg said.
(Note: Future Angel and Hall of Famer Rod Carew struck out three times against Ryan in the game.)
It was also a sign of the mostly apathetic Angel fans that less than 10,000 showed up for this historic game, which the Angels won, 5-4.
The game capped Ryan’s best season in what would be his 27-year career. It was his 21st win of the season. He had thrown a 16-strikeout no-hitter earlier in the year, his second of the season. He threw 326 innings with 26 complete games and an ERA of 2.87.
Yet he did not win the Cy Young Award (Jim Palmer did). In fact, he never won a Cy Young. How can that be? Maybe because he only weighed 170 pounds.
5 notes on Nolan Ryan
*He pitched in four different decades.
*His uniform No. 30 is retired by three franchises – the Angels, the Rangers and the Astros.
*He is one of only five Hall of Famers to allow fewer hits than innings pitched in his career – Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Trevor Hoffman.
*He holds the major league career strikeout record with 5,714 (839 more than anyone else)
*He also holds the major league record for career walks with 2,795.
Pete Donovan is a Palm Desert resident and former Los Angeles Times sports reporter. He can be reached at pwdonovan22@yahoo.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Nolan Ryan turned in his top moment on the mound 50 years ago
