Nolan Ryan / something we'll never see again

WorldNumberOne · Oct 19, 2010

1987

Led the league in ERA 2.79
Led the league in strikeouts 270
Led the league in hits per 9 innings 6.5

His record 8-16

We will never see another starter lose twice as many games as they won and lead the lead the league in ERA and hits per 9 innings making over 25 starts .

I wonder if he had pitched for a contender his whole career , would he have won over 400 games.

steaktartar · Oct 19, 2010

World Number One said:
1987

Led the league in ERA 2.79
Led the league in strikeouts 270
Led the league in hits per 9 innings 6.5

His record 8-16

We will never see another starter lose twice as many games as they won and lead the lead the league in ERA and hits per 9 innings making over 25 starts .

I wonder if he had pitched for a contender his whole career , would he have won over 400 games.

ya i saw him numerous times pitch in person..just amazing early 70's with the angels....having a .500 record leading the league in k's top ten in era .........400 with a good team...yes easily i think

WorldNumberOne · Oct 19, 2010

i saw him in the early 70's too . tiger stadium. i was about 12 or 13. told my dad that i wanted to walk down behind home plate so i could hear him destroy the catchers mit . loudest sound on a baseball field i had ever heard.

steaktartar · Oct 19, 2010

World Number One said:
i saw him in the early 70's too . tiger stadium. i was about 12 or 13. told my dad that i wanted to walk down behind home plate so i could hear him destroy the catchers mit . loudest sound on a baseball field i had ever heard.

my dad didnt get very good seats....but you could still hear the pop from where we were

WorldNumberOne · Oct 19, 2010

steak tartar said:
my dad didnt get very good seats....but you could still hear the pop from where we were

we werent sitting down there.. i had to walk and sneak past the ushers to get down there .

JohnnyMac · Oct 19, 2010

World Number One said:
I wonder if he had pitched for a contender his whole career , would he have won over 400 games.

Anyone would win more games if they pitched for a contender for their whole career.

WorldNumberOne · Oct 19, 2010

JohnnyMac said:
Anyone would win more games if they pitched for a contender for their whole career.

i suppose .. but 324-292 with a 3.19 era .. nice run support... you would expect someone with 292 losses to have an era around 4 or higher.

the guy pitched for teams that pretty much finished around the bottom of the division every year. i would love to know how many times he left the game leading 2-1 or 3-2 and the bullpen lost the game. or how many times he lost giving up 2 or 3 runs.

festeringZit · Oct 19, 2010

Nolan takes some of the blame for his large number of losses.

#1. For pitchers with 2500 innings or 150 wins he by far has the highest
number of walks per game: 4.67. This is more than a walk higher than any
other pitcher in the 300 win club. He is the best pitcher ever in hits allowed
per 9 innings, but if you look at walks and hits per 9 innings, he drops to
#265!

#2. Wild pitches. 277 = 50 more than second place Phil Niekro

#3. His inability in preventing runners from stealing. 757 stolen bases allowed is
an amazing 200 more than 2nd place Greg Maddux.

That all being said, he lives down the street from me, and I've met him - he's a total class
act, and was an amazing pitcher and athlete. What he's done to promote minor
league baseball in my area is much appreciated by all baseball fans in central Texas.

WorldNumberOne · Oct 19, 2010

Then why wasnt his ERA higher ?

I believe walks count as earned runs , i think a wild pitch moving a runner over would end up being an earned run if he scored without another error being made .

For a guy that allowed a lot of base runners and those runners to steal , 3.17 is pretty solid.

steaktartar · Oct 19, 2010

festeringZit said:
Nolan takes some of the blame for his large number of losses.

#1. For pitchers with 2500 innings or 150 wins he by far has the highest
number of walks per game: 4.67. This is more than a walk higher than any
other pitcher in the 300 win club. He is the best pitcher ever in hits allowed
per 9 innings, but if you look at walks and hits per 9 innings, he drops to
#265!

#2. Wild pitches. 277 = 50 more than second place Phil Niekro

#3. His inability in preventing runners from stealing. 757 stolen bases allowed is
an amazing 200 more than 2nd place Greg Maddux.

That all being said, he lives down the street from me, and I've met him - he's a total class
act, and was an amazing pitcher and athlete. What he's done to promote minor
league baseball in my area is much appreciated by all baseball fans in central Texas.

all of this is true.........but when he walked a guy he didnt care if he stole second because he was probably going to walk another guy anyway....so still 1st and second and then strike out the side

steaktartar · Oct 19, 2010

World Number One said:
Then why wasnt his ERA higher ?

I believe walks count as earned runs , i think a wild pitch moving a runner over would end up being an earned run if he scored without another error being made .

For a guy that allowed a lot of base runners and those runners to steal , 3.17 is pretty solid.

yes walks and wild pitches count in earned runs....only a run as a result of a passed ball wouldnt...or obviously an error by a teammate

barman · Oct 19, 2010

I'm pretty sure that Ryan's BB/IP ratio was significantly lower durimg the second half of his career

barman · Oct 19, 2010

yah...just looked it up....also noticed that at age 43 and age 44 with texas led the AL in overall WHIP

That's when I got to see him work several times a year during his Ranger tenure

OAKAS · Oct 19, 2010

I think it was Reggie Jackson that said Nolan Ryan's fastball made a noise through the air that nobody else could duplicated.

steaktartar · Oct 19, 2010

barman said:
I'm pretty sure that Ryan's BB/IP ratio was significantly lower durimg the second half of his career

ya and he didnt have a real good curveball until he was 36 or so...lol....amazing man

WorldNumberOne · Oct 19, 2010

i loved how he threw out the first pitch the other night.. used the same leg kick and fired a strike at the knees clocking in around 65 mph...

BAGIANT · Oct 19, 2010

`I wish the Mets never traded him.

Ladeda · Oct 19, 2010

I don't know. Look at Felix Hernandez this year. Not quite as extreme but pretty similiar.

NickPappagiorgio · Oct 19, 2010

Ryan was a very good pitcher, and a good fighter, but he never won a Cy Young for a reason. If you needed to win one game, Ryan isnt even close to first on your list.

RobFunk · Oct 19, 2010

World Number One said:
1987

Led the league in ERA 2.79
Led the league in strikeouts 270
Led the league in hits per 9 innings 6.5

His record 8-16

We will never see another starter lose twice as many games as they won and lead the lead the league in ERA and hits per 9 innings making over 25 starts .

I wonder if he had pitched for a contender his whole career , would he have won over 400 games.

This whole post is great. And the part I have bolded I have wondered that too. But it's got to be at least 75% YES