Did Nolan Ryan pitch a perfect game? The stats are misleading, but that doesn’t mean he never threw one. The article below explains why the stats don’t tell the full story. After all, he did pitch seven no-hitters in Texas Rangers’ uniform. Read on to find out what actually happened to Ryan that day. This article may also give you some interesting trivia about Ryan.
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Nolan Ryan pitched a perfect game for the California Angels in 1986
The record of four no-hitters was tied by the legendary Sandy Koufax, but Nolan Ryan broke it in the 1986 postseason, pitching a perfect game for the California Angels. The no-hitter was the fifth for Ryan in his career, moving him up to No. 1 on the all-time list. In the final game of the regular season, he lowered his ERA to 1.69, the lowest in the Majors.
Nolan Ryan’s breaking ball was a devastating weapon. With a fastball as weak as a fastball, Ryan didn’t even need a fastball to get a good strike. In the second inning, he struck out the side, and he was still a hot pitcher. In the third, Texas managed to score three runs, but Ryan’s perfect game was ruined by a two-run home run by Ruben Sierra off Jimmy Key.
Nolan Ryan’s career stats are misleading
Nolan Ryan’s career stats are a bit misleading. The left-handed pitcher never led the league in wins, and finished in the top three twice. However, he did win 20 games, which tied him for second place among pitchers with more than 300 wins. Ryan became the 20th member of the 300-win club in 1990, and finished his career with 324 wins. However, his postseason control was noticeably better than in the regular season, with just one wild pitch and a 12.4% walk rate. In fact, he struck out fewer batters during that postseason than he did during the regular season.
Nolan Ryan’s stats are also skewed by the fact that he never won a Cy Young Award. In reality, he pitched for the Angels for eight seasons, including three with the New York Mets and one with the Texas Rangers. Moreover, he never made the World Series and only reached the postseason three times. This is not to say that his career stats are inaccurate, but they are definitely misleading.
He threw seven no-hitters in a Texas Rangers uniform
In his career, Nolan Ryan pitched seven no-hitters, the most by any pitcher. Although he never threw a perfect game, Ryan’s seven no-hitters highlight a long, distinguished career. Ryan pitched his first two no-hitters with the Angels in 1973 and his last two with the Rangers in 1990 and 1991. In 1991, Ryan retired Joe Carter on a pop-out to earn his seventh no-hitter.
In 1996, Ryan went 16-10 with the Rangers, posting a 3.20 ERA. He pitched six complete games and two shutouts and compiled 301 strikeouts in his career. His seven no-hitters were the most in one season for a pitcher and tied a major league record. In his career, Nolan Ryan also won the league strikeout title and became the team’s president and CEO.
He was a dominating pitcher
Nolan Ryan was a great pitcher who pitched for the New York Mets in the early 1970s. He had one no-hitter and a save in the Game 3 World Series. Ryan was drafted by the Mets and developed into a great young pitcher during the Miracle Mets’ season. Then he was traded to the California Angels for infielder Jim Fregosi, whose career would go into a rapid decline.
Ryan had many dominating seasons. His best season was a two-year stretch from 1972-1974, in which he averaged a 2.70 ERA and 314 strikeouts in 314 innings pitched. In 1981, he won the ERA title. In 1989, he tallied 302 strikeouts and achieved his career high strikeout rate of 11.3 percent. This pushed him up the leaderboard and he was considered the best pitcher of all-time.
He threw a 2-hitter in the 1980 NLCS versus the Philadelphia Phillies
Nolan Ryan pitched very well against the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1980 NLCS, pitching a 2-hitter in Game 2 and earning a no-decision. The Astros lost the series in five games, but Ryan did not lose his postseason career until 1991 when he was the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the only Astros pitcher to pitch in the postseason.
Despite being a rookie, Ryan was able to pitch well in the postseason, and his six-plus innings were memorable. In the 1980 NLCS, Ryan allowed just two runs and struck out six Phillies hitters in the process. In addition to the two runs he gave up, he also doubled home a runner in the seventh inning, so he won the game for the Astros.