Editing Nolan Ryan (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Nolan Ryan Exhibit Center.jpg|thumb|The Nolan Ryan Exhibit Center in Alvin, Texas]]
[[File:Nolan Ryan rings.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|A collection of rings awarded to Nolan Ryan for appearances as an All-Star and as a member of the [[1969 New York Mets season|1969 New York Mets World Champion team]]]]
Ryan played in more seasons (27) than any other major league player since 1900. (For all-time he is tied with Cap Anson for #1). Ryan ranks first for all-time in strikeouts (5,714), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.56), and no-hitters (7). He is also fifth in innings pitched (5,386), second in games started (773), seventh in shutouts (61), is tied for 14th in wins (324), and is third in losses (292).

Opposing hitters hit only .204 against Ryan during his career, although they had a .309 on-base percentage against him. He also limited hitters to a .298 slugging percentage.<ref name=data/> Ryan had 15 or more strikeouts in a game 26 times, second only to [[Randy Johnson (pitcher)|Randy Johnson]], who had 28. Ryan's lengthy career spanned generations as he struck out seven pairs of fathers and sons (for example, [[Bobby Bonds]] and [[Barry Bonds]]), another major league record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smackbomb.com/nolanryan/strikeouts.html|title=The Nolan Ryan Express &#124; The Strikeout King &#124; smackbomb.com/nolanryan|publisher=Smackbomb.com|access-date=March 12, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716092407/http://www.smackbomb.com/nolanryan/strikeouts.html|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref> Ryan also played during the administrations of seven [[U.S. Presidents]]—[[Lyndon B. Johnson]], [[Richard M. Nixon]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[George H.&nbsp;W. Bush]], and [[Bill Clinton]]—equaling a 20th-century record that had been set by [[Jim Kaat]].

Ryan also ranks high on the list for four "negative" records; he ranks first all-time in walks allowed (2,795), first in wild pitches (277), third in losses (292 – most in the post-1920 [[live-ball era]]), and ninth in batters hit (158).<ref name=data/> Ryan was the first pitcher in MLB history to give up ten grand slam home runs,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=2551746 |title=It's been a grand old time in '06 |last=Kurkjian |first=Tim |date=August 17, 2006 |website=[[ESPN]] |access-date=April 16, 2019}}</ref> including one to [[Dann Howitt]], the next-to-last batter Ryan faced in his career;<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1993/10/04/129452/nolan-ryan |title=Nolan Ryan |last=Kurkjian |first=Tim |date=October 4, 1993 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]  |access-date=April 16, 2019}}</ref> that record has since been surpassed.

[[Bill James]] focused on this dichotomy between Ryan's positive and negative statistics. While ranking him as the 24th best pitcher of all time, he noted, "Ryan has been retired almost ten years [as of 2001], in another ten perhaps we will begin to get a little bit of perspective on him. Ryan's log of spectacular accomplishments is as thick as Bill Clinton's little black book; his list of flaws and failures is lengthy but dry, and will never make for good reading."<ref>{{Cite book|last=James|first=Bill |page=862|title=The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract |publisher=Free Press|year=2001 |url=https://archive.org/details/newbilljameshist00jame |isbn=0-684-80697-5}}</ref>

Other writers have delved more into the specifics of James' general concerns. [[ESPN]] writer [[Rob Neyer]] stated in a 2003 column that while Ryan was among the 20 best pitchers since [[World War&nbsp;II]], he "often had trouble throwing strikes, [and] he wasn't any good at fielding his position".<ref>{{cite web|author=Rob NeyerESPN.com|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=1559625&type=columnist|title=No mention of Ryan brings plenty of disbelief|work=ESPN|date=May 27, 2003|access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref> In another column, Neyer, while stating that Ryan belonged in the Hall of Fame, pointed to Ryan's record-breaking walks total and noted that his .309 on-base percentage against "wasn't even close to being in the top 100".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/neyer_rob/1383697.html|title=Nolan Ryan: why he's overrated|work=ESPN|date=September 16, 1999|access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref>

Ryan and Frank Robinson are the only two major league players to have their number retired by three teams on which they played. The California Angels retired the number 30 on June 16, 1992; the Texas Rangers retired his number 34 on September 15, 1996; and the Houston Astros retired number 34 on September 29, 1996.<ref>[https://www.mlb.com/rangers/history/retired-numbers Texas Rangers Retired Number History on mlb.com] Retrieved May 18, 2006</ref> His number was the first retired by the Rangers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/rangers/news/texas-rangers-retired-numbers-c298147180 |title=Texas Rangers Retired Numbers |last=Sullivan |first=T.R. |date=March 11, 2019 |website=Major League Baseball  |access-date=April 16, 2019}}</ref>

Ryan was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1999 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1999]] in his first year of eligibility with 98.79% of the vote (491 out of 497 possible), six votes short of a unanimous election and the sixth-highest percentage in history, behind [[Mariano Rivera]] (100%, 425 out of 425 possible), [[Derek Jeter]] (99.75%, 396 out of 397 possible), [[Ichiro Suzuki]] (99.75%, 393 out of 394 possible), [[Ken Griffey Jr.]] (99.32%, 437 out of 440 possible), and [[Tom Seaver]] (98.84%, 425 out of 430 possible).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nolan Ryan Baseball Hall of Fame bio |url=http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=121597 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729053948/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=121597 |archive-date=2009-07-29 |website=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum}}</ref> He chose to wear a Rangers cap for his HOF plaque to reflect his Texas heritage, as well as the fact that his 300th win, 5000th strikeout, and last two no-hitters came as a Ranger. He was the first Hall of Famer inducted as a Ranger. However, the Hall of Fame recognizes the Los Angeles Angels as his primary team.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Nolan Ryan |url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/ryan-nolan |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=Baseball Hall of Fame}}</ref>

In 1999, he ranked 41st on ''[[The Sporting News]]'' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was elected to the [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]]. He was inducted into the [[Texas Rangers Hall of Fame]] in 2003, and named the Rangers', and Astros' [[DHL Hometown Heroes|Hometown Hero]] in 2006—the only player to be so named by two franchises.  In 2020, ''[[The Athletic]]'' ranked Ryan at number 50 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter [[Joe Posnanski]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Posnanski |first1=Joe |title=The Baseball 100: No. 50, Nolan Ryan |url=https://theathletic.com/1578277/2020/02/06/the-baseball-100-no-50-nolan-ryan/ |magazine=[[The Athletic]] |date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>

In 2011, he was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111119081659/http://www.irishbaseballhall.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48:bios-of-the-inductees&catid=37:about-the-hall&Itemid=54 Bios Of The Inductees]. Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame website. Retrieved February 23, 2014.</ref>

In 1992, the [[United States Mint]] produced a [[List of United States commemorative coins and medals (1990s)#Non-circulating coins 3|$1 commemorative coin]] honoring Olympic baseball depicting a pitcher in a USA Baseball uniform in a pose nearly identical to Ryan's photo on his 1991 [[Fleer]] baseball card. The numismatic community subsequently referred to the coin as the "Nolan Ryan dollar."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deecken.com/coin.html|title=1992 Olympic Baseball|website=deecken.com|access-date=December 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://vbbc.forumotion.com/t1532-did-the-united-states-produce-a-nolan-ryan-dollar-coin|title=Did the United States produce a Nolan Ryan Dollar coin?|access-date=December 7, 2017}}</ref>

In 1995 the [[Texas Legislature|Texas State Legislature]] declared [[State Highway 288 (Texas)|State Highway 288]], which passes near Alvin, as the Nolan Ryan Expressway.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/memorialhwy.htm |title=Texas Memorial Highway System |website=Texas Department of Transportation |access-date=April 16, 2019 }}</ref>

The [[Alvin Independent School District]] opened Nolan Ryan Junior High School, located at 11500 Shadow Creek Parkway (FM 2234) in Pearland, Texas, just a few hundred yards away from the Nolan Ryan Expressway.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alvinisd.net/site/default.aspx?DomainID=28 |title=Nolan Ryan Jr. High |website=Alvin ISD  |access-date=April 16, 2019}}</ref>

The Nolan Ryan Foundation is a Texas nonprofit organization that supports youth, education, and community development and is headquartered in Round Rock, Texas.<ref name="Foundation">{{cite web |title=Nolan Ryan Foundation |url=https://www.nolanryanfoundation.org |access-date=November 12, 2021}}</ref>

The [[Texas Trail of Fame]] inducted Ryan in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nolan Ryan |url=https://texastrailoffame.org/inductees/nolan-ryan/ |website=Western Heritage from the Texas Trail of Fame |access-date=March 8, 2020}}</ref> The [[Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame]] inducted Ryan in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tchof.com/post/nolan-ryan|title=Nolan Ryan|date=November 20, 2009|publisher=Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame {{!}} Fort Worth Texas|access-date=March 8, 2020}}</ref>

A documentary, ''Facing Nolan'', was released in 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theathletic.com/3436009/2022/07/21/nolan-ryan-documentary-facing-nolan/|title=New Nolan Ryan documentary shines a spotlight on his larger-than-life career|first=Richard|last=Deitsch|work=[[The Athletic]]|date=July 21, 2022|accessdate=March 12, 2024}}</ref>