Rangers History Today: Nolan Ryan’s Seventh and Final No-Hitter
On this date in Texas Rangers history, Nolan Ryan threw his seventh career no-hitter, the last of his incredible Hall of Fame career.
Back on May 1, 1991, Ryan was sitting on six career no-hitters. He had thrown one for the Rangers, back on June 11, 1990, as he blanked the defending World Series champion Oakland Athletics, 5-0.
On this date, the game, against the Toronto Blue Jays, was broadcast in Canada on CTV and picked up nationally by ESPN as Ryan got closer to adding to his Major League-leading list of no-hitters.
Ryan was in a groove leading up to the game. He had struck out at least nine hitters in his first four starts of the season. But, according to Sports Illustrated, which wrote an account of that day in 2015, both Rangers manager Bobby Valentine and pitching coach Tom House believed that Ryan didn’t have the stuff to get through that game.
Well, Ryan proved them both wrong. After Ryan got out of the first inning, he reportedly told his teammates, "Boys, get me one [run], that's all I'm going to need today,"
Well, the Rangers got him three runs and Ryan did the rest, going the distance while striking out 16 and walking two as he threw 122 pitches.
You can watch the complete game here.
It was the last major milestone of his remarkable career. Ryan had previously won his 300th game and recorded his 5,000th strikeout during his first year with the Rangers in 1989.
The no-hitter also carries additional significance in Rangers history, as it was the first no-hitter thrown by a Ranger at home. The previous three — thrown by Bert Blyleven, Jim Bibby, and Ryan, were all on the road.
Finally, on the same day Ryan threw his no-hitter, legendary leadoff man Rickey Henderson broke the all-time stolen base record.
Are we missing a moment from this day in Texas Rangers history? We’re happy to add it. Hit us up on Twitter @PostinsPostcard and let us know what to add.
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