- Publish date:
The Vault
At 36 Nolan Ryan became the majors' alltime strikeout leader—as chronicled here by Jim Kaplan—an achievement that spoke to a workhorse career with four teams. He pitched 10 more years and took the record into a new orbit: His 5,714 K's are still some 900 more than Randy Johnson's total at No. 2.
It was a perfect setup for a strikeout record: a dominant pitcher against an outmatched hitter. On the mound at Montreal's Olympic Stadium on the afternoon of April 27 was Houston righthander Nolan Ryan, one K away from replacing Walter Johnson as baseball's alltime strikeout leader. The sainted Senator had assumed the lead in 1921, with 2,820, when he passed Denton True (Cy) Young, and had 3,508 when he retired six years later.
Now, Ryan had just struck out Expos catcher Tim Blackwell, and at the plate was Brad Mills, a substitute infielder with 154 at bats in the big leagues. Ryan walked around behind the mound, telling himself not to rush his delivery. He braced on the rubber, raised his hands over his head, tucked his left knee under his chin and threw with his simple and fluid motion, leading with his left foot, shifting his weight and releasing the ball with his right arm at an 11 o'clock position. In came a fastball, over the outside corner for a called strike. Now a curve, low and inside, but Mills couldn't stop his swing. Strike two. Ryan wasted a fastball outside. One and two. Tugging at his cap, Ryan walked on and off the mound and shivered like a dog shaking off water as he looked in for the sign. A big, sidewinding curve over the outside corner. Called strike three!
As the 19,309 fans at Olympic Stadium rose to cheer, Ryan hesitantly raised his hat. Meanwhile giant likenesses of Ryan and Johnson appeared on the scoreboard in centerfield.
Like Johnson before him, Ryan is a modest, clean-living young man from rural America who has pitched uncomplainingly for generally mediocre teams. He was born in 1947, the year after Johnson died. As Johnson did, Ryan relies primarily on heat. Johnson was the Big Train; Ryan—Nolie or Tex to his teammates—throws the Ryan Express. Oh, there are differences. Johnson threw almost nothing but a sidearm fastball, which all but blinded the hitters of his day. "You can't hit what you can't see," former American Leaguer Ping Bodie marveled. Ryan goes over the top and throws a nifty curve about 30% of the time. But Johnson and Ryan are linked as the most overpowering pitchers of their times.
The record could not have come at a better time for Houston. The Astros went 3--16 in the spring and lost their first nine games of the season, while Ryan missed three weeks with prostatitis. "When he plays, Nolan has a positive effect on the team," says Houston general manager Al Rosen. "He's like Joe DiMaggio—not a holler guy, but a leader. You respond to him. There's a sense of majesty, like Affirmed at the post."
ON THE COVER
This Week In SI
SI.com/vault offers every SPORTS ILLUSTRATED cover since the start-up in August 1954, searchable by date or subject. Here are some newsmakers from years past.
1969
A Royal Comeback?
His conviction for refusing induction into the Army was under appeal when SI addressed the prospect of Ali's return to the ring.
1974
Body Work
Bobby Clarke and the rest of the Flyers' Broad Street Bullies were pounding the Rangers in the conference finals en route to the Cup.
1999
One and Only
Drafted out of high school in 1995, Kevin Garnett signed a $126 million deal two years later that broke the NBA bank.
SI.COM
Breaking News | Real-Time Scores | Daily Analysis
HOME
NFL
MLB
NBA
NHL
RELIEF EFFORTS
• This week SI.com makes a call to the bullpen to give you the latest news, notes and analysis on baseball's best and worst relievers. Cliff Corcoran ranks the closers for each team and explores why good relief pitching is in short supply; Ted Keith takes a look at Padres closer Heath Bell, who is replacing baseball's career saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, in San Diego; and Steve Aschburner profiles the major's most consistent and underrated closer, Minnesota Twin Joe Nathan (left). Plus ...
• Ted Keith's Power Rankings
• Jon Heyman's Daily Scoop
• Photo galleries of key relievers in action
FEATURED WRITERS
PETER KING
Inside the NFL
Monday Morning Quarterback and a look at the winners and losers from the NFL Draft
TIM LAYDEN
Inside Horse Racing
Handicapping what appears to be an open field in the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby
JIM TROTTER
Inside the NFL
Providing an in-depth analysis of the draft classes of every team in the AFC West
AUSTIN MURPHY
Inside College Football
Bill Snyder returns to Kansas State to try to make the Wildcats winners once again
JOE POSNANSKI
Inside Baseball
Examining the most interesting, and fretted over, aspect of the game: pitch count
NEWS
Big Shots
Can Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks build on their early postseason success and march deep into the Western Conference playoffs? SI.com has complete coverage of the NBA playoffs, including breakdowns of key matchups and nightly roundtable discussions with our panel of NBA experts. Also, Steve Aschburner takes a look at the Magic's Dwight Howard, whose offensive game is still a work in progress.
Spring Flings
As spring football wraps up for Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and for college programs around the country, SI.com takes a look at all of your favorite teams and ranks who's hot and who's not heading into the 2009 season. Cory McCartney discusses the winners and losers from the top teams' spring games, while Andy Staples checks in with his spring Power Rankings.
Check it all out at SI.com/bonus
Now on SI.com
For the full story, and to find any article that has appeared in the magazine, go to SI.com/vault
Walter Johnson and Ryan are linked as the most overpowering pitchers of their times.
GALLERIES BROWSE SI PHOTOS
NHL PLAYOFFS
NBA PLAYOFFS
BACK IN TIME
PHOTO
MANNY MILLAN
RUBBER ARM Ryan struck out more than 300 batters in a season six times; he also issued a major-league-record 2,795 walks.
PHOTO
PHILLIP LEONIAN
PHOTO
TONY TRIOLO
PHOTO
WALTER IOOSS JR.
PHOTO
FRED VUICH (NATHAN)
PHOTO
MEL LEVINE (KING)
PHOTO
GREG NELSON (NOWITZKI)
PHOTO
GREG NELSON (YAO)
PHOTO
BILL FRAKES (TEBOW)
PHOTO
LOU CAPOZZOLA (FLEURY)
PHOTO
LOU CAPOZZOLA (BRODEUR)
PHOTO
DAVID E. KLUTHO (BURROWS)
PHOTO
DAVID E. KLUTHO (RYDER)
PHOTO
DAVID E. KLUTHO (HILLER)
PHOTO
DAVID E. KLUTHO (CLEARY)
PHOTO
AL TIELEMANS (ROSE)
PHOTO
BOB ROSATO (WADE)
PHOTO
JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (ANTHONY)
PHOTO
WALTER IOOSS JR. (ROBERTSON)
PHOTO
HERB SCHARFMAN (ALI)
PHOTO
GETTY IMAGES (BOSSY)
PHOTO
MICHAEL ZAGARIS/MLB PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES (HENDERSON)
FIVE PHOTOS
