The Ryan Express passes the big train
On April 27, 1983 – 1983: The Ryan Express passes The Big Train to become the King of the K. Pitching for the Houston Astros, 36-year-old Nolan Ryan strikes out Montreal pinch-hitter Brad Mills on a 1-2 pitch in the eighth inning for his 3,509th strikeout, breaking the mark of 3,508 that Walter Johnson has owned since 1927.
“I vapor-locked (froze) when I saw that curve,” Mills says. “I knew I was history right there.”
Ryan, who previously pitched for the Mets and Angels, gets the record in his 16th full season and in 3,357 innings. Johnson pitched 21 seasons and 5,924 innings (2,567 more than Ryan did) with the Washington Senators.
“It’s been so long since he pitched that I really know very little about him,” Ryan says after the 4-2 win in Montreal. “I only know what I read in the newspapers, and I looked him up in The Baseball Encyclopedia. That gave his statistics, but not very much about the man.”
Besides being primarily fastballers, the two men also were similar in personality. Ryan, a rancher, and Johnson, a farmer, were simple, homespun types who didn’t get too big for their britches.
Sources:
About The Author
