New on SI TV: Nolan Ryan Recounts His Seventh No-Hitter, the Favorite Outing of His Storied Career
SI TV presents "Aces' Choice," brand new offering in partnership with MLB that gives you an unvarnished look of four of the greatest outings by four of the game's greatest pitchers. First up is Nolan Ryan, whose seventh no-hitter came at age-44 on May 1, 1991. Ryan befuddled a Toronto lineup that featured Hall-of-Famer Roberto Alomar as well as famed hitters Joe Carter and John Olerud. That Blue Jays team would go on to win the AL East while Ryan would finish the season with a 2.91 ERA and lead the American League with 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. To watch this game in its entirety and the rest of the Aces' Choice series, start your seven-day free trial on SI TV today.
The Result: Rangers 3, Blue Jays 0
The Line: 9 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 16 K
Jerry Hoefer/Fort Worth Star-Telegram via AP
The Backstory: Ryan seemed ageless—at 44, he was a month into his 25th big league season and a year removed from his record sixth no-hitter—but on this day he felt broken down. He had a sore back and a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand; before leaving for the ballpark he told his wife, “I feel old today.”
"My favorite game that I pitched has to be my seventh no-hitter: because it was late in my career, and it was in front of my home crowd. I heard later that as the game went on, you could see more and more cars coming into the parking lot. I definitely remember the crowd getting bigger inning by inning. It was just exciting to have their enthusiastic support and appreciation."
From the SI Vault: Heaven for Seven:The catchers who were on the receiving ends of Nolan Ryan's no-hitters describe their personal relationships with the legendary hurler.
"After Nolan's first no-hitter, some people said, 'You really helped Ryan,' " says Jeff Torborg, who caught Ryan as a member of the California Angels. "Of course, you'd like to get credit, but now that he's done it with seven different catchers, I think my cover is blown."
From the SI Vault: Citizen Ryan: An in-depth look into how the mild-mannered, relentlessly focused Ryan navigated press attention and aging to remain one of the greatest pitchers of his generation.
"The shades of gray darken, and Nolan is working just a little harder tonight. He has to miss the workout tomorrow. Has to go to the White House. To see the President. Up there in Washington. He will be back in Alvin. Texas, back here, Thursday."
