Editing Nolan Ryan (section)

===Houston Astros (1980–1988)===
{{MLBBioRet
|Image  = AstrosRet 34.PNG
|Name   = Nolan Ryan
|Number = 34
|Team   = Houston Astros
|Year   = 1996
|}}
On November 19, 1979, Ryan signed a four-year contract worth $4.5&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|4.5|1979|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) with the [[Houston Astros]], becoming MLB's first million-dollar player.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adler |first=David |date=2023-12-09 |title=Every player to hold title of MLB's highest-paid free agent |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/highest-paid-mlb-players-through-history-c302405496 |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=MLB.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 16, 1979 |title=Ryan Going to Astros for $4 Million; $1 Million a Year in Pact |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/16/archives/ryan-going-to-astros-for-4-million-1-million-a-year-in-pact.html |access-date=2024-11-17 |work=The New York Times |page=A25}}</ref> The salary quadrupled what he had been making with the [[Los Angeles Angels|California Angels]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edmonds |first1=Ed |last2=Houdek |first2=Frank G. |title=Baseball Meets the Law: A Chronology of Decisions, Statutes and Other Legal Events |date=2017 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476664385 |pages=179–80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HsdADgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1980 |access-date=October 20, 2019 }}</ref> In a nationally televised game against the [[1980 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] on April 12, 1980, Ryan hit a three-run home run off [[Don Sutton]]. It was the first of two homers in Ryan's career and produced half of the six RBIs he got that year.<ref name=data/> On July 4 at [[Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati)|Riverfront Stadium]], Ryan recorded his 3,000th career strikeout, the victim being [[César Gerónimo]] of the [[1980 Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati Reds]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feinstein |first=John |date=1980-07-05 |title=Ryan Whiffs 3,000th, Loses |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/07/05/ryan-whiffs-3000th-loses/2920aeaf-7c20-4078-8121-d6cabb6216db/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828160610/https://www.washingtonpost.com/web/20170828160610/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/07/05/ryan-whiffs-3000th-loses/2920aeaf-7c20-4078-8121-d6cabb6216db/ |archive-date=2017-08-28 |access-date=2024-11-17 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The Astros made the [[1980 MLB postseason]]. In the [[1980 National League Championship Series|1980 NLCS]] versus the [[Philadelphia Phillies]], Ryan pitched well in Game 2, leaving the game tied 2–2 in the seventh (having contributed to both [[1980 Houston Astros season|Astros]] runs with a run scored following a walk, and a sacrifice bunt leading to a run) but again got a no-decision in a game that went extra innings. In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan and the Astros held a 5–2 lead entering the 8th inning. But Ryan allowed three consecutive singles before walking in the third run. The Houston bullpen allowed the Phillies to take a 7–5 lead, and only a game-tying Astro rally permitted Ryan to escape the loss.

On September 26, 1981, Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter, breaking Koufax's mark while becoming the third pitcher to throw a no-hitter in each league.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/27/sports/ryan-s-record-fifth-no-hitter-downs-dodgers-5-0.html|title=RYAN'S RECORD FIFTH NO-HITTER DOWNS DODGERS, 5-0|agency=Associated Press|work=The New York Times |date=September 27, 1981|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> That season, his 1.69 ERA was the best in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]].<ref name=data/>

Facing the [[1981 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] in the [[1981 National League Division Series|1981 NLDS]], Ryan threw a complete game two-hitter in the opener, outlasting the Dodgers' rookie sensation [[Fernando Valenzuela]]. It was Ryan's second and last career postseason win. In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan left trailing 3–0 and took the loss.

[[File:Nolan Ryan in Atlanta close-up.jpg|thumb|Ryan pitching for the Astros in 1983]]
By the end of the 1982 season, both Ryan and [[Steve Carlton]] were approaching [[Walter Johnson]]'s all-time strikeout record, sometimes passing one another's career totals in successive starts. On April 27, 1983, Ryan won the race with his 3,509th whiff, against [[Brad Mills (infielder)|Brad Mills]] of the [[1983 Montreal Expos season|Montreal Expos]]. (Carlton reached the same mark two weeks after Ryan, and [[Gaylord Perry]] did so later that season.) On July 11, 1985, Ryan struck out [[Danny Heep]] for his 4,000th career strikeout.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McLemore |first1=Ivy |title=Ryan strikes out 11, sails past 4000 |url=https://www.astrosdaily.com/history/19850711/ |website=Astros Daily |access-date=July 24, 2018}}</ref>

In 1986, Ryan's [[1986 Houston Astros season|Astros]] faced the [[1986 New York Mets season|New York Mets]] in the [[1986 National League Championship Series|National League Championship Series]]. Ryan had a shaky start in Game 2, taking the loss. He returned in Game 5, throwing 9 innings of 2-hit, 1-run, 12-strikeout ball, but one of those hits was a [[Darryl Strawberry]] home run that tied the game at 1, as [[Dwight Gooden]] matched Ryan pitch for pitch. Ryan got a no-decision as his Astros lost in 12 innings.

In 1987, Ryan led the major leagues in both ERA (2.76) and strikeouts (270) at the age of 40, but finished 8–16 as the result of extremely poor run support; the Astros scored a total of 27 runs in his 16 losses–an average of 1.69 runs per game. Despite his .333 winning percentage, Ryan tied for 5th place in the 1987 Cy Young voting.<ref name=data/> Ryan hit his second and final career home run in a 12–3 win on May 1, 1987, against the [[Atlanta Braves]].

In nine seasons as a pitcher with the Astros (his longest tenure with any team), Ryan compiled a 106–94 record in 282 starts, a 3.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, with 796 walks and 1,866 strikeouts in 1,854 innings.<ref name="baseball-reference.com2"/>