Nolan Ryan

1947-

American baseball player

Baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan is the all-time strikeout king, with a career total of 5,714 strikeouts, and seven no-hitters. His career lasted 27 years, the longest

Nolan Ryan

of any major league baseball player. With a career average of 9.55 strikeouts per nine innings, he was one of only three pitchers to average a strikeout per inning. He set a major league record by striking out 10 batters in a game 215 times, and an American League record in 1974 by striking out 19 batters in a 9-inning game. In 1992, a year before his retirement, Ryan became the oldest pitcher in the major leagues to strike out more than 10 batters in a single game. His six seasons of 300+ strikeouts and 15 seasons with 200+ strikeouts are still major league records.