Nolan Ryan is not only the greatest strikeout pitcher ever, he is also the “No Hit King.” As an Angel, Nolan pitched a ML record four no-hitters. Each one of these games could make the list of Top 50 moments by themselves; but since Nolan already has his fair share of Top 50 moments, I decided to group them together:
Ryan’s first no-hitter came on 5/15/73 against the Kansas City Royals at Royals Stadium; just one start after the shortest start of his career (1/3 of an inning). Ryan got off to a great start, recording three of his twelve strikeouts in the first inning. He spread out three walks to the punchless royals as he cruised to a 3-0 victory.
Two months later, Ryan became the fifth pitcher to throw two no-hitters in a season – when he shut down the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium on 7/15/73 . This time Nolan struck out 17, fanning the side in the second, fourth, and seventh. When Norm Cash came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, he carried a table leg instead of his bat. The umpire made him exchange it, and Cash popped up for the final out of the 6-0 victory.
No-hitter #3 came on Ryan’s last start of the ’74 season – 9/28/74 at Anaheim Stadium. Ryan struck out 15 en route to a 4-0 victory over the Twins. It was his 22nd victory of the season, tying the Angels’ single-season record for wins.
On 6/1/75 , Ryan threw his fourth and final no-hitter as an Angel – a 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Anaheim Stadium. This one provided a bit of drama in the ninth. With one out, former batting champ Tommy Davis bounced one up the middle for what appeared to be a hit; but 2B Jerry Remy stretched out to snag it before nailing Davis at first. This fourth gem, the 100th win of his career, tied Ryan with the great Sandy Koufax for the most no-hitters in a career – a record he would eventually raise to seven.
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