18 December 2023

Album art features pitching legend Nolan Ryan.

Let’s take another game to appreciate the legendary Nolan Ryan. A Hall of Famer who played in the major leagues for 27 years, Ryan laid claim to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time. A lifetime .526 record, a record 5714 strikeouts, a record seven career no-hitters, a joint-record 12 one-hitters, and appearances in four separate decades.

Yet he never won a Cy Young Award… perhaps another record he holds (most career walks by a pitcher, at 2795) played a part in that.

His career took off when the California Angels picked him regularly as a starting pitcher after the Mets traded him in late 1971. We’ll jump forward a few years to the end of the 1973 season… a season with Ryan throwing two no-hitters and setting a high-water mark of 383 strikeouts.

Ryan is on the mound and facing divisional rivals, the Minnesota Twins, in a final four-game series of the year. It’s a dead rubber in the AL West, but the series will determine who finishes third in the league. The teams have a 7-7 record against each other, but the Angels are four games back. Four wins, and the Twins are overhauled. The pressure of pride is on.

Dick Enberg and Dave Niehaus are behind the microphone.

You can find the boxscore here.

This game was played on September 27, 1973.