On the blog today, a card from my custom 1960's special set, "Dedicated Rookies" released a few years ago already. One of the more popular sets I printed up over the years. This one a 1968 card for the great Nolan Ryan:
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Ryan appeared in two
games for the New York Mets in 1966 as a 19-year-old, tossing three
innings and going 0-1 with a 15.00 earned run average with six
strikeouts and three walks.
He would spend all
of 1967 in the Minors before making it back for good in 1968, going 6-9
over 21 appearances with a 3.09 ERA in 134 innings, starting 18 and
completing three.
Of course, the rest,
as they say, is history, as he would go on to put in one of the most
amazing careers in Major League history.
What really needs to be said about a guy who has become more myth than baseball legend?
300+ wins, 5700+
strikeouts, 60+ shutouts, and oh yeah SEVEN no-hitters, two of which
came when he was well into his 40’s while with the Texas Rangers!
I used the 1974
template since he was fresh off his record-breaking 383 strikeout season
of 1973, his second consecutive 300+ strikeout season, and on his way
to make the Mets regret BIG TIME for letting him
go.
I love thinking
about the fact that he did all of this in the American League, with the
designated hitter. Now imagine how many strikeouts he could have had in
his prime pitching in the National League where
the pitcher batted?!
Would it be safe to say you could add 20-30 strikeouts a season to his total?
Hey, you never know…
Nevertheless, the
man became a baseball God, eventually finding his place in the Hall of
Fame upon his first year of eligibility as an absolute no-brainer.
I just thank the skies above that I got to see him pitch in-person!