All language subtitles for Facing.Nolan.2022.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC5.1-[YTS.MX]

Greg Meyers
leading things off bottom

of the fifth inning
against Nolan Ryan.

Nolan Ryan,
first ballot Hall of Famer,

and holder of 51
Major League records.

Ryan throws a
fast ball right on by him.

Now, I'm a bit confused

why you'd open a movie on him

with the second to last
start of his career.

Shouldn't we start with
something a bit more dramatic?

Like one of his
famous no-hitters?

Maybe a World Series win.

Or maybe that famous
scuffle he got into.

Not the fifth inning of some
no-stakes affair in Anaheim.

I mean this Big Tex,
The Express.

Why are we watching him face off

against a career .255 hitter?

Not to get too
deep into numbers,

but like baseball, to
understand old Noley,

you gotta know his numbers.

Numbers like 7,

383,

100.9,

and 5,714.

That was it.

Nolan's final strike out.

It earned him
baseball immortality,

because no one has thrown more

in the sport's near century
and a half existence.

Without a doubt, he is the
most intimidating pitcher

in the history of the game.

He's rubbing the ball,

he's staring at you.

He had that swagger
and that look to him.

I'm the sheriff around here.

I remember hearing Nolan say,

when I step across
that white line,

I don't even like myself.

He's one of the best competitors
I've ever played against.

It wasn't a day at the
beach to face that guy.

I knew that every
time I face him,

I'm gonna go 0 for four.

He was like Superman.

He's mythological.

Something that is bigger
than what it really is.

But then we all know
when you do meet him,

he's...

he's Nolan Ryan.

Hello?

Wup, one minute.

- Hello?
- Can you hear me?

Yeah, you're on speaker phone.

I'm in the car
driving through Alvin.

All right.
You haven't left yet then?

No, not yet, but I'll
call you when I do.

All right.
Well, y'all have fun.

Okay, bye.

Bye.

People say, if you
marry a baseball player,

you really marry baseball,

and there's a lot of
truth to that statement.

And Alvin was just a fun,
innocent, safe childhood.

We rode horses around the school

with my friends that had horses.

Gosh, these trees
are so grown up,

'cause Nolan planted the
tree that's in the yard.

Yeah, that's it.

Gosh, that thing,

look at that thing.

That thing is huge.

I remember the first
time I saw Nolan.

I was only in the fourth grade,

so I wasn't really
thinking about boys,

but I did remember
seeing him because

he was on the Little League
baseball team.

I just remember
these games going on

and I could come
and just stand there

by the fence and look
at the ball games.

You know, I always
wished I could play

but they didn't have
girl's teams then.

I remember Nolan was
on a Little League team

called The Rangers,

and probably when I was
in the seventh grade,

that's when I thought
about him being cute.

When you're ready.

We are ready.

I guess I was in eighth grade

when he asked me
to go to that movie.

I called her up on the phone

and asked her if she'd
like to go out.

Obviously she had
to ask her mother.

Evidently there weren't any
red flags up towards Nolan.

There was a movie playing

at the Alvin Theater and
it was 'Rome Adventure.'

I think it was the
name of the movie.

Did you enjoy it?

Oh, very much, thank you.

You know, my mother
has a theory.

She says that for every woman
on earth is only one man.

They both went the
same high school.

He was voted most handsome and
she was voted most beautiful.

And she was a star in tennis.

He was a star in basketball,

and baseball later, but
they just hit it off.

For Nolan's and
Ruth's second date,

he took Ruth to the old ballpark

next to the Astrodome to
watch Sandy Koufax pitch.

Sandy Koufax is the greatest
lefthanded pitcher in history.

He was the most dominating
lefthander in history

Swing and a miss
and struck him out.

Look at those Dodgers
congratulate Koufax.

He idolized Sandy Koufax.

He was watching Sandy pitch.

He wouldn't talk to me.

He wouldn't get up.

And he was mesmerized.

We were sitting
right behind the plate.

I got a bird's eye view
of Sandy warming up,

and I'd never seen
anybody throw like that.

That's the first time he
saw Sandy Koufax pitch.

Within 10 years, he'd
broken all his records.

No one did things
Nolan ever did,

but no one was raised
like Nolan ever was.

Every legend has an origin,

and Nolan's origin is a doozy.

Youngest of six,

depression era parents

from a tiny town
no one ever heard of.

Like a page out of the
Humble Beginnings playbook.

But how did he get that arm?

Legend has it, every
night Nolan's dad

would wake him up at
one in the morning

and they'd hand deliver
over 1,500 papers

across the entire city.

Every day, four hours a
day for six years straight.

Okay, the fact is he
actually drove a car

for his paper route,

but Nolan wouldn't mind us

stretching the truth a little,
would he?

The Houston folks used to say,

well Nolan Ryan developed his
arm from throwing The Post.

Well, that's totally false.

'Cause when you drive a car,
you throw in your left hand.

Well, guess they
decided to print the legend.

He could throw the
ball harder

than anybody I know about.

And he was here for
pitching in Alvin.

He'd bring his
catcher mitt and ball.

And he would pitch to me
until my hand wore out.

If you caught it right
in the catchers mitt,

it was fine.

But if it hit where
your palm was, it hurt.

'Cause he was the hardest
chunker I've ever caught.

Sometimes he'd burn my hand a
little bit and I'd say, boy,

how hard are you throwing?

And he'd say about
three-quarter speed.

And that would scare
me a little bit.

When I went out as a sophomore

for the Varsity Baseball team,

I hit my final growth spurt.

It was like I had
somebody else's arm.

There was a mythology
about Nolan that dates back

to when he was at
Alvin High School

because he could throw
it harder than anybody.

And he was wild.

He hit several batters.

I remember one game
in particular,

we were playing Deer Park

and he hit the very first
two batters in the game.

He hit one of the
players in the head

and cracked his helmet.

The next guy got in line.

And when Nolan threw the ball,

he hit him in the arm

and broke his arm.

And the third batter,

actually went down to
their coach and asked him

if he would consider
pinch hitting for him.

As it worked out,
Nolan struck him out

on three pitches and he
was so far from the plate,

he couldn't have covered
it if he'd had a broom.

At that point, everybody
really took notice

that Nolan could be
something very special.

He weighed about
142-145 pounds.

About six foot one.

So, he was a skinny
right-handed chunker.

See, when he threw the
baseball, it just exploded

out of his hand with
almost effortlessly.

Red Murff pitched for the
Braves during his career.

And then he became a scout.

Jim Watson was a
baseball coach in Alvin,

and he told Jim not to tell
any other Scouts about Nolan.

Well, he told me I had
the best arm he'd ever seen,

and truly believed
that I would pitch

in the big leagues.

We'll do the knuckles,
there we go.

- Good to see you.
- Good to see you.

- How are you?
- Yeah, I'm all right.

- All right.
- Thank you.

Excited to talk about Nolan?

Not really, but
I'm happy to do it.

Yeah, I mean, yes
I am, excuse me.

Fire it up.

My dad's uncle,
my grandmother's brother,

was one of the initial
owners of the New York Mets.

What's interesting from
our family's perspective,

is that a young pitcher on
that team was Nolan Ryan.

A constant theme
in Nolan's life,

from the start, in baseball,

he was always undervalued.

The Mets were pretty
much the only team on him.

Took him in the 12th round.

They just took a flier.

They just thought, well,
here's a guy with a good arm,

and let's see what
we end up with.

He came to me and said,
"I got drafted today."

Well, I thought
he meant the Army.

He was 18 and out of high school

and it was during Vietnam.

A lot of our friends
had gotten drafted.

And he goes, "No,
the baseball draft."

And he said, "I'll be
leaving pretty soon."

And I'm like, oh, you know,
that was a shock to me.

I had plans to go to college

but when Nolan left at age 18,
I was only 16.

I really missed him.
I really wanted to be with him.

Red Murff found out

that we were probably
gonna get married one day.

He said, Ruth, you know that

you're gonna have to share
Nolan with the world.

And I thought, I'm not sharing
Nolan with anybody, you know.

I was very put out that
he said that to me.

And it was so true.

You know, I did end up
sharing him with the world.

I had no idea what
the baseball life

would really be like.

That was a shock.

All I was concentrating on

were trying to catch that ball.

I didn't have anybody that
threw quite like Nolan did.

Everybody was saying that
Nolan was throwing 101,

maybe 102 miles an hour.

That's wrong.

Nolan was throwing 107, 108.

Do you believe that?

Yes, I was there catching it,

or trying to.

There's no question
that Nolan Ryan,

when he first came to the Mets,

was very wild.

His Minor League numbers,
they're right out of

Nuke LaLoosh from "Bull Durham."

This guy's crazy.

Yep.

And then he gets
called up to the Mets,

pretty young, at
the point work where

he's probably not ready to go.

So Nolan Ryan
makes his Major League debut

against one of the heaviest
hitting teams in baseball,

the Atlanta Braves.

I can remember coming outta
the bullpen in Shea Stadium

and I'm 19 years old
and I'm gon' be facing

Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews
and Felipe Alou

and those guys.

God, I had those guys'
baseball cards.

Tall and slender righthander.

Joe Torre was on that team.

And the pitch to Joe Torre.

Fly ball, wild hit to
right field, way back.

And it's over the wall,
a home run.

A lot of people
had the same emotions

as the first time they walked
on a major league mound.

And they ask do
they belong there?

And I had no clue whether
I belonged there or not.

Nolan never expected
baseball to be a long career.

His goal was to play four years

and you could qualify
for a pension.

Nolan didn't have a plan.

He was gonna be a vet.

When he went on road trips,
he would bring his books

about cattle and veterinary
medicine and, you know,

study in his free time.

He always tried to
prepare himself

for life after baseball.

With the Mets, they had a lot

of good, young arms at the time.

He just didn't know if he
would even get in a rotation.

He was in relief pretty much.

At this point, you
look back and you go,

Nolan Ryan was a relief pitcher?

But he was young and
he was inexperienced.

They didn't think he'd
be a consistent winner

because he couldn't
control the ball.

High and tight.

He just wasn't polished.

Growing up around cattle,

Nolan understood most
calves stand on their own

within the first 30
minutes of birth.

In those early
years with the Mets,

he was still finding his legs.

But in the 1969 playoffs,

he would need to stand tall.

The aptly named Miracle Mets

were one game away
from the World Series.

And Nolan was brought in to
help get them out of a jam.

The reaction of the Mets,
his teammates,

when they brought him in,
"Are you kidding me?"

They're thinking
Gil Hodges quit.

They're giving up the game.

That's what they
thought of Nolan Ryan,

his teammates did at the time.

They knew he had talent,

but he hadn't shown anything
to be in this position.

The third game of the National
League Championship Series.

With a count
of 1-and-2 on Rico Carty,

runners at second and
third, no one out.

Rico had gone over and asked
couple of guys on the bench,

"What do I look for?"

And they said,

"Heat."

And the pitch
is swung on and missed.

Ryan strikes out Rico Carty.

He got outta the inning.

He kept them in the game.

Nolan Ryan with
a tremendous performance.

I was surprised
as other people were

that Gil stayed with me
the rest of the game

Nolan Ryan,
who came in the ball game

with the Mets behind
2-0 in the third.

One out away from the
National League pennant.

Mets leading 7-4.

Garrett has the ball,
the throw to first,

and the Mets are the
National League champions.

The view you're looking at,

has turned in one of baseball's

most unbelievable stories.

The players are going nuts.

They couldn't believe it.

He's the hero, he wins
the pennant for the Mets.

People didn't know who
he was or what he was.

Just some Texan with a drawl

everybody in New York
made fun of,

but when the batter
stood in the box,

nobody was making fun
of Nolan's drawl.

This has got
to be the happiest day

of all for you.

That night, there
was a big celebration

in the Diamond Club.

That was the first time I had
ever had a glass of champagne.

And the last time I ever
had a glass of champagne.

And wouldn't you know it,
ten days later,

the Miracle Mets won
the whole damn thing.

The Mets are
the world champions.

At the tender age of 22,

Nolan Ryan had a
World Series ring.

He and his teammates sure
had a lot to sing about.

♪ You gotta have heart

♪ All you really need is heart

We were on the Ed Sullivan Show.

All of us, the whole team.

♪ Wait 'til next year and hold

None of us could sing.

The dogs were howling
big time after that.

♪ First you gotta have heart

That whole thing
was a whirlwind deal

for about four or five days.

And being on the Ed Sullivan
Show, to a ticker tape parade,

and being world champions,
and then going home

and kinda stepping back
into our normal lives.

I'd go home, get a job
so I could survive

until next spring training

and try to go to school too.

Yeah.

I installed central
heating and air conditioning.

This is Nolan Ryan
for American Standard

Heating and Air Conditioning.

Back in those days, you only
got paid during the season.

And my first contract
with the Mets was $7,000.

And so, you know, you
didn't have extra money.

Look at this scene.

When the Mets
won the World Series,

he got a little bit of a bonus.

He helped his parents
pay off their house

and he put some money down
on a piece of property.

We're back home.

I'm in San Antonio,
he's in Alvin,

and I'm with his
real estate broker,

looking for a ranch.

Ranching is a way of
life here in Texas.

How y'all doing?

Nolan is a cowboy.

I think it's in his blood.

It's in his nature.

Likes being out in
the Texas prairie.

Since the time I
was about 5 years old,

I had an attraction to cattle.

Why that is, I don't know.

I think I was just meant
to be in that business

and I've always had
a passion for it.

Come on. You're nervous.

Come on by.

Hey.

I'm the ranch manager
for Mr. Nolan Ryan

for about 30 years.

That's a cut, David.

When I first met him, I
knew the kind of guy he was.

He's gonna do right
and everything.

He was, one's you really
would wanna work for.

That's a cut.

Keeper.

It's a cow and calf operation.

It's a real business,
just like any other one.

That's a cut.

Keeper. Cut.

We was sorting some heifers,
some keeping heifers

and heifers we're
gonna try to sale.

That's a keeper.

See if we can make
a little money.

Everybody knows Mr. Nolan
Ryan, the baseball player

but he's a rancher.

As I got older,
I understood one thing,

when you get out of the game,

you have to find that
thing in your life

that you loved to do.

I'm very at peace
with what I'm doing

and it's where my
comfort level is.

I was accustomed
to being outdoors

and being in a more
relaxed atmosphere.

And I didn't really
take to New York.

I was alone a lot.

Those times he
went on road trips.

So I was kind of scared

sometimes, living in
an apartment building.

It was just a different world.

And I wouldn't trade any of it.

All that was good experience.

It was an exciting
kind of life, in a way.

We depended on each other.

We were just two kids
trying to get by.

The highlight of his Mets career

was the playoffs in the series.

Because he came
back in 70 and 71,

they tried to start him
but he had no consistency.

In the meantime, the Gentrys,
the Koosmans, the Sievers,

I mean, they're taking on.

There's no place for Nolan.

The manager, he's
worrying about winning games

and I'm sure Nolan's wildness
drove some of them crazy.

The lack of success

and not accomplishing what
you think you could do.

I was so frustrated
in my inconsistency

and the fact that I wasn't
pitching on a regular basis.

He didn't really have like say,

a pitching coach that
took him under his wing.

He felt like he wasn't a
important part of the team.

I started thinking,

oh maybe this isn't
what I'm meant to do.

He said he was almost
ready to quit baseball.

People do not realize
how strong Ruth Ryan is.

Ruth talked Nolan
outta quitting.

She is the strength
behind Nolan.

I said, "Nolan, I
think you have talent.

So I really wish you
would stick it out

just a little bit longer."

Ryan pitch,

strike him out with a fastball.

I think Nolan was
ready to leave New York

after the 1971 season.

I was about seven
months pregnant.

And he told me we're leaving
after the game is over.

And I said, in the
middle of the night?

And he goes, yes.

I don't really think that
I'll be back here next year.

In November, our son,
Reed was born.

And two weeks later,

I answered the phone
and I said,

"It's Bob Scheffing with
the New York Mets."

And he just looked
at me and he said,

"I think I'm gonna be traded."

♪ Everybody is talking at me

♪ I don't hear a word
they're saying ♪

♪ Only the echoes of my mind

♪ I'm going where the
sun keeps shining ♪

Bob Scheffing, he was
General Manager of the Mets.

He said, "Nolan, I just
wanted to call and tell you,

you're going to sunny
California."

And I thought, all right,
I'm gonna be a Dodger.

♪ And skipping over the
ocean like a stone ♪

"You're going to
California Angels."

And I mean, I could've died.

The Angels back then,
they're a doormat.

The redheaded stepchild
compared to the LA Dodgers,

the marquee Dodgers.

♪ Riding the range once more

The highlight of being traded

to the California Angels

was I was gonna get
to meet Gene Autry.

Growing up in Texas, Gene was
a big deal, you know,

the singing cowboy and I
had watched all his movies.

♪ I go my way

♪ Back in the saddle again

It was a really good move for me

because I was going to a team

that was in the
development stages

so probably was gonna get
the pitch on a regular basis.

The biggest thing
that changed Nolan Ryan

into the Hall of Fame
pitcher that he is,

came when he had
a pitching coach

by the name of Tom Morgan.

I never had a pitching coach

until I got to the big leagues.

He was the first person that
really got me thinking about

what I had to do in my delivery

to get more consistent.

Big thing with Nolan back then,

he was overthrowing and
he'd fall off the mount.

That's the main thing
that Tom Morgan sees.

He stood in front of Nolan

and made him stride out past him

so that he didn't
spin off the ball.

So Nolan can't fall
through to the left

or it'll hit Tom Morgan.

So he straightens
out his fundamentals.

Holy cow, what smoke.

It was incredible.

It was like a
light bulb went on.

The three years that
Morgan was there,

Nolan won 62 games.

Pitched over 900 innings.

That laid the foundation for
his whole pitching career.

He was ready.

Being in the background
in New York,

the guy that couldn't get
an everyday assignment,

it pushed him.

Now, he saw his opportunity

and I don't think he
was gonna pass that up.

♪ I'm ready for you

♪ I hope you're ready for me.

My principal goal
is to win 20 games,

but if I'd win 20 games

and also set a new
strikeout record,

I'll definitely gonna try.

73, it goes ballistic.

He wins 21 games that year.

The no-hitters
came very quickly.

I think I was as
surprised as anyone

that I threw a no-hitter.

He did it.

Nolan Ryan has a
no-hit no-run game.

And they swarm the 26-year-
old, Alvin, Texas native.

It was one of those
special nights.

And then 60 days later,
I throw number two.

Some people say they
don't think about it

but I thought about it from
probably the third inning on.

I'm thinking, oh, he
hasn't given up any hits.

And then, it just gets more
exciting as it builds up.

First seven innings,
he's got 16, 17 strikeouts.

The last batter of
the game is Norm Cash.

I looked at him as he
walks in the batter's box

and I didn't know what he had,
but I knew he didn't have a bat.

He had taken a leg off of
a table in the clubhouse,

came out there to bat
with this table leg.

I told Ron Luciano the umpire,

he can't hit with that.

And he said, it
doesn't matter, Ron.

He says I can't hit him anyway.

Leave it to Norman
for a little levity

and Ron Luciano is breaking
up behind the play.

And the stands now
cheering for Nolan Ryan.

Here it comes.

He pops it up.

A tough play.

No hit.

Nolan Ryan.

Ryan has become
only the fifth man

in modern Major League history

to throw two no-hit no-run
games in the same season.

And it's a standing
ovation from the fans

in Detroit, Michigan.

Five strikeouts for Koufax.

Fast ball got him,
strikeout number eight.

In 1965,

Sandy Koufax set baseball
single season strikeout record

with 382.

No one thought it
could be broken.

Well, having someone
to chase after

was great motivation for Nolan.

And in 1973, he was
hot on Sandy's heels.

In his final start
of the season,

Nolan was 16 strikeouts away

from breaking his idol's record.

There is 375.

Here is the pitch to
kill over a fastball.

Hey, good job.

There is 380.

Guys are coming back and says,

"Boys, we're in for a
tough night tonight.

They were swinging and missing."

One more strike
that would tie Koufax.

Ryan straightens,
here's the pitch.

He's got it.

Ruth was at the game
with me that night.

The end of nine innings,
the score's tied,

he's got 15 strikeouts
for the night.

He's tied with Koufax.

I had pulled my hamstring
in one of the extra innings.

He had cramps in his legs,
he could hardly walk,

but he kept going.

Nolan Ryan will
have fought into the 11th.

When you talk about pain,

I call it discomfort.

You learned to pitch with it.

And that just came
with the territory.

And Ryan does
not have much left.

There goes Carew,
swing and a miss,

the throw to second base.

Not in time.

And the crowd wanted
Carew to be safe.

Ryan now has two
strikes on Rich Reese.

Two-strike pitch coming up.

Ryan's set. Here it is.

Swing and a miss!

Nolan Ryan

is the major league
strikeout king of all time!

He was letting it all
out there, all that he had.

383, that's a lot.

383 strikeouts in
the season, is,

it's still the record, yeah.

And ladies and gentlemen,

we have seen one of
the finest young men

ever to wear a baseball uniform

record one of the most
incredible records

in Major League history.

It meant a lot to Nolan,

just because of whose
record he broke.

It was a fun night
at the ballpark.

Nolan, anyone
who looks at the record books

will find that there aren't
many left for you to conquer.

Well, I don't give

a whole lot of
emphasis on statistics.

I just try to go out and
win every game I pitch in,

and hope that I
improve every year.

It's 1973, he's out on his ranch

and he gets a call from Ruth

that Jim Palmer won
the Cy Young Award.

The Cy Young Award

is what the sports writers
vote in each league,

what they think is the best
pitcher for that season.

Nolan, it didn't bother him,

but it did bother me.

Jim Palmer was a great pitcher,

but he did not
certainly outshine Ryan

in that particular season.

Two no-hitters, 21 wins,
makes the strikeout record.

Four.

Cy Youngs? Four.

Uh, three.

I don't think he won any.
It's crazy.

Zero?

You gotta be kidding.

Nolan Ryan never won
a Cy Young Award?

Well, that's a joke.

I thought he had won
three or four or five.

Yeah, I have no idea

how Nolan didn't win
a Cy Young Award,

because he had to be knocking

on the door for that,
many times.

Ryan winds,
and the 3-2 pitch,

he struck him out!

He has not allowed a Yankee
hit for seven innings.

It is surprising that
he's never won one,

but I don't think that has
really tarnished his

reputation or his legacy.

Here's Ryan's payoff pitch.

And he walked him.

He led the world in walks,

but he also led the
world in strikeouts.

He didn't need a Cy Young Award
to be the biggest thing going.

He was Nolan Ryan,

the guy with the Guinness
record for the fastest pitch.

Some of the smartest scientists

west of the Rio Grande

used some fancy equipment
to clock Nolan's fastball

at 100.9 miles per hour.

Using the more accurate
technology of today,

that number really comes
out to 108.1 miles per hour.

Yes, sir.

The legend of the Ryan Express

was most definitely
picking up steam.

His time with the Angels

is entirely unique
in baseball history.

Look at the numbers
that he put up.

The strikeout numbers
in particular.

They're unheard of.

I don't believe there's ever
been a stretch like that.

Two-strike pitch.

Gone!

Bye, bye.

I tell you,
that's gotta be a 100 mile
an hour pitch right there.

When you're throwing
100 miles an hour,

you feel this sense of

this game is right here.

And you're right here
in the palm of my hand.

Nolan set the standard
for a power pitcher.

He could throw hard,
be a fierce competitor.

He was not afraid to
use some intimidation,

'cause he's gonna
buzz you if he has to.

Intimidation was
part of his game.

He had the ability to put you
on your toes at any moment.

He could be conveniently wild,
if you know what I mean.

He might throw one up
and in on your chin,

and the next one would be
low and away on the corner.

So that's conveniently wild.

He had that aura about him,

that the hitter just
isn't quite sure

where they're coming from.

That's always a good
thing for a pitcher.

I used it to my
advantage when I could.

Throw inside.

- Look out. Inside.
- Wow.

If you're gonna be a
successful pitcher,

you have to pitch inside.

I don't care how hard you throw.

So you have to pitch in
and out, up and down,

and move the ball
around a little bit.

And he was masterful at it.

High and tight
to Frank Robinson.

With that mindset, you're
gonna hit some people.

The first time I faced him,

Jim Wohlford was
hitting ahead of me.

And for some reason
he got hit,

and I'm seeing Wolfie
on the ground,

trying to breathe.
He couldn't breathe,

and I'm going, "Oh my God,
I gotta face this guy?"

He drilled a guy
in the rib cage.

I said, "Did you hit
that guy on purpose?"

And he goes, "George,
sometimes you just have to

take control of the situation."

He hated players to bunt on him.

Don't bunt on him and
don't steal on him.

'Cause he's gonna hit you.

When you get in
that batter's box,

and you're like toeing in,

you know, digging that
hole, that back foot,

and he's ready to go,

you about to get one
in your earhole, man.

I didn't wanna get hit
in head by Nolan Ryan.

Even if I had a helmet on.

I think that summed up
how some people felt.

Pete, this is the shoe
we're gonna have you sign

"The Hit King."

And Nolan, we're gonna have
you sign "The No-hit King."

You gonna sign it right here.

I'm gonna sign it, right?

- Okay I'll sign those
- "Pete Rose."

Those look like
Usain Bolt shoes, right there.

They're great.

Good, Bob.

This is as close as
I wanna be to this guy.

Oh, you love me, Pete.

I'm gonna go down and
say hi to some folks.

Well, you're from Texas,
you got to.

Yeah, I'll see you down there.

You own this ballpark,
you got to.

Let's bring him up to the stage.

I'm gonna turn it
over to him and Pete.

Mr. Nolan Ryan, come on up.

It was the fifth
game of the playoffs.

And I was pitching that day,

and I went out and
take batting practice.

Pete was down there
and I got in the cage

and took my swings.

And when I was walking
out, he goes, "Hey, Nolan."

I go, "Yeah, Pete?"

He says, "I wish you'd get
that curve ball of yours

over just one time."

And I go, "Yeah?
Why is that, Pete?"

And he says, "'Cause
I'm gonna hit it

off your blanking forehead."

I thought, "Well,
we'll see about that."

So the first two times
up in the game,

I got him out on fast balls.

Third time up,

I figured now's the time
to throw my curve ball.

And as soon as I released it,
and he read curve ball,

his eyes lit up like stars.

And he hit the most
vicious line drive

that would've hit
me right in the face

if I hadn't got my glove up.

It hit off the heel of
my glove, fell down,

I picked it up
and threw him out.

And he was running
to first base,

pointing at me the whole time.

Do you remember that story

the same way he told it?

Yes. Yes.

Yeah, I don't have as
many records as him.

How many records you got?

51? 51.

51?

Of course you
have three no-hitters

to your credit, which is another
tremendous accomplishment

at the young age, just
how old are you now?

I'm 28.

Oh my God,
you're still a spring chicken.

Ha ha, well, I hope so.

At that time,

only four pitchers in history
had three or more no-hitters.

Nolan threw three
in just 16 months.

I mean, this was
mind-boggling stuff.

But he wasn't satisfied yet.

In 1975, the chase of
his idol continued.

Sandy had the record at four.

Once I got number three,

I was in hopes that I
could accomplish that too.

June 1st, 1975, he
can't get out of bed.

He can't move his arm.

He can't brush his teeth.

He can't tie his shoes.

Ruth has to do it for him.

I developed bone
chips in my elbow.

Those chips would move around
and they would get in the joint

and then keep me from extending.

He's slated to start
a Sunday day game

versus Baltimore Orioles.

I'm bat boy that day.

Well, evidently I warmed up
and it, it all worked out.

There's no
one at the exit today,

they're watching
Ryan and cheering.

Many of them on their feet now,

a no-hitter on the line.

The top of the ninth inning,
I was third up, and I went,

"Oh, oh, I could be the last
out here for the no-hitter."

Ryan, two balls,
two strikes, the count.

Two outs in the ninth innings.

Throwing two fast balls
and he fouled them off.

And Rich is
making it tough on everyone.

So I'm looking fastball
and he threw it

and I saw it coming,
and I stepped out,

but it never got there.

I'm going and he
threw a two-two change up.

The two-two pitch. Change.

I had no chance.

I mean, that was the last
thing in the world I expected

in the ninth inning,
was his third best pitch.

Nolan Ryan [indistinct].

You know, you tip
your hat and you go,

"Nolan, nice going, buddy.

But I guess I'm in the
record book too."

We never thought about fame.

I think after the no-hitters,

he became more famous.

I think at times
you like being recognized

and other times you don't.

You have to accept the fact that

it comes with the territory.

I would cope with
that sometimes with women.

Like, some woman would come up

and she'd hand me
her camera and say,

"Here, take our picture,"
you know?

And then she'd go
give Nolan a big hug.

So you get that feeling that
you're sort of invisible.

The longer he played there,
it became a lot tougher,

I guess, for me,
as far as dealing with the fame.

I was trying to raise three
little kids at the time.

I don't know
that when you have a child

that you're really prepared
for that responsibility

and the impact that
it has on your life.

Obviously, kids make
your life more complete.

You grow into that and
you develop that ability

and the care and love that
you experience for a child.

It's worst kind of
phone call you can get,

that something happened
to one of your children.

To make it even worse is
that you're not there.

It was one of the worst things
that had happened in our lives.

It was May the ninth of 1979.

Reed was seven years old.

I was out in the yard with
the two and three-year-old

while Reed was across the
street playing baseball.

Kids were teasing him about
his little baseball shirt.

They were gonna
take his shirt away.

And so he was running
back to our yard.

Of course, he didn't look, and
this girl turned the corner

and he ran out in the street,

right when she turned
into the neighborhood

and knocked him up in the air.

Reed said, "Mom,
am I gonna die?"

That was what he said to me.

So that, just like, tore me up.

I called the ballpark in Boston

because that's where
Nolan was playing.

When I heard Nolan's voice,

I just broke down in tears.

And I was like, hah, you know,

I still wanna cry.

He lost a kidney and...

he lost spleen,

but he recovered
from everything.

I left that experience
feeling blessed to be alive,

blessed to be able-bodied still.

Really, from that moment on,

I just decided that I
was gonna be positive

the rest of my life because
every day is a gift.

That kinda
reaffirmed my feelings

about hoping that I could
pitch closer to home.

I grew up as a Texan.

I am a Texan,

and I'm proud to be a Texan.

And there's a mystique about it.

It's in my blood.

When we left Anaheim
for the last time,

dad had a single-cab
pickup truck

and we rode from
Anaheim to Alvin

which is like 24-hour drive
in the bed of the truck.

That was before seatbelt
laws and everything else.

We had one of those
sliding glass windows.

And so Reed and I could
crawl back and forth

between, you know, being
in the front with my dad

and being in the
back with the dogs

and these green army men
that he had bought us.

We thought it was the
greatest thing in the world.

Wanting to come home

was one of the reasons
Nolan left the Angels,

but that's not the whole story.

During contract
negotiations in 79,

the top brass at Anaheim

thought Nolan was getting a
bit too big for his britches.

With the general manager,
Buzzie Bavasi,

even saying in the press,

he could just sign two

eight and seven pitchers
to replace Nolan

who was 16 and 14 that season.

Talk about a slap in the face.

Undervalued again.

Well, one team's loss
was another team's gain.

Nolan had a manifest destiny

of finishing his
career in Texas,

and no better place
than 35 miles away

from where he played
high school ball

and fell in love with Ruth.

Nolan signed
a free-agent contract

with the Houston Astros

to become baseball's
first million-dollar man.

And not just in baseball,
in any sport,

period.

He said, "Well, if they
got the money,

I'll be more than
happy to take it."

He broke the barrier,
started players actually

getting paid what they
really deserved.

And I tip my hat to him.

Thank you, Noley.

It was a big number.

And in those days it
got a lot of attention.

But I think because
it was Nolan Ryan,

it was not a,

"Gosh, this athlete's being
paid more than his worth."

Whatever you would've paid him,

you've said, "Hey
this guy's worth it."

When I first got here in 75,

we couldn't beat anybody.

And then the atmosphere
started to change

and we started to win.
We thought we could win.

And then when we got Nolan,

we weren't afraid of anybody.

As important as
pitching is in baseball,

it is, the first game
Nolan pitched

was not about his pitching.

I bet there's one
thing Nolan ever talked about,

his batting average.

And I don't
think he liked to hear it.

I was the base
runner in second base

and I thought,
"You gotta be kidding me."

Nolan Ryan just hit a home run.

And he couldn't hit.

Somebody told you it
was coming, Noley.

And it him took about a hour

to get around the bases
because he wasn't fast.

They thought, "Oh gee,
this guy can pitch and hit."

You know?

Not.

His lifetime batting averages.

Somebody brought it to my
attention that it was 1-10.

That's not good for anybody.

Nolan, as poorly as you hit,

they could put a Saturn rocket

from our friends down at NASA,
and still may not help you.

Yeah, but if I ever
make contact, Barry.

Hair will grow on my head.

I doubt it.

Say goodbye, Nolan.

Chirp. All right.

See you later.

A friend of a friend

knew a person that worked the
back gate in the Astrodome.

Go, Nolan.

I was only allowed to go in

when Nolan was pitching.

I snuck in to just
watch him warm up.

Nolan's throwing a 93, 95,

it sounds like 105.

You could hear the ball,

it sounded like bacon
in a frying pan.

You'd hear that sizzle
[sss-pow],

hitting that glove.

Nolan's fastball,

there was no other
sound like it.

You could hear it.

Whoosh.

Whoo-pop. It just
come in there,

Phuh. Phuh.

Career strikeout number 3,000.

♪ Tell me can you feel it

♪ The heat is on

♪ Yeah

♪ The heat is on

Strike three called.

And there's the record-breaker.

♪ Burnin' burnin' burnin'

♪ It's on the streets

Strikeout number
4,000 for Nolan Ryan.

♪ The heat is on

Hitters that faced
him, they were gonna say,

"Facing him on a day where
he's got 100 mile an hour

fastball and a curve ball
that was 12 to 6,"

♪ On.

"It was no fun."

He threw a lot
of bastard pitches.

Guy makes a great pitch,

we call him a bastard.

You have to look fastball.

And then when that curve
comes in there,

jelly leg, you know, they
call it, you know, oh-ho.

If Nolan Ryan was on his game,

and he had that
curve ball working--

Look at that.

You're not gonna hit that.
You're not gonna hit it.

If he was getting that over,
it's goodnight, Irene.

We're looking
at the top of the Astrodome.

Here in Houston they
refer to the Astrodome

as the Eighth Wonder of
the World.

And this afternoon,

the Dodgers and the
Houston Astros.

It'll be Nolan Ryan
against Ted Power.

I keep the video on my phone.

Can you play it?

Since walking
Landreaux in the third inning,

here's the pitch on
the way to Scioscia.

Fly ball to right center
field and he hit it deep.

And Nolan Ryan,
along with Sandy Koufax,

only two men in
baseball history

to have pitched four no-hitters.

I guess I'd really
gotten to where I thought

the no-hit aspect of my
career was probably behind me.

He hasn't had a
no-hitter in six years.

Ballgame just underway.

Overhead curve ball gets him.

Three, two to Scioscia.

Curve ball!

Oh, that got him!

Three strikeouts
and every one of them

been on big up with Charlie.

Nolan Ryan, gets strike
out number eight.

So he will go into
the sixth inning,

still with a no-hitter
in his sight.

Oftentimes, you'd
come back to the dugout

and guys would be saying,

"Is he gonna get one tonight?
Is this it? Has he got it?"

It had no chance to talk with
Nolan in-between innings.

It was taboo to even
approach a guy,

especially if his uniform
said Ryan on the back.

The pitcher don't
wanna hear that.

You already know that
he pitching a no-hitter,

so don't mention it.

Stay quiet.

You don't wanna
put the curse on him.

Cruz!

And be there, you know.

Somebody throwing
like a no-hitter,

you playing the outfield.

Sometimes you say my God,
I gotta be ready.

I gotta try to make a good play.

There has not been a ball hit
hard

off Nolan Ryan in
this ball game.

Get deep,
the right center field!

Puhl going back.

He makes the catch!

Remember catching the ball
with my glove just to

scoop it up, to hold it
in the glove at the end.

And for me, that was
a good play.

And that's the closest they've
come

to breaking a no-hitter.

And oftentimes, there
is one play that propels

a no-hitter to its finish.

Nolan Ryan goes
out here in the ninth inning

to try to nail down
the three outs

that give him the no-hitter.

Dusty Baker comes up.

All the players,
we had butterflies.

We're all nervous.

I'm thinking to myself,
I hope he hits it to,

you know, Craig Reynolds
at short

instead of me or whatever.

This may be it!

He has got it.

Nolan Ryan!
No-hitter number five!

I was so happy
I made the play,

and did it for Nolan.

I have this, these
moments that are just

they're frozen in time.

You see those and it's really
cool to remember 'em,

probably just, especially
when it's somebody

that's your friend and
you're so excited for them.

You see it's a part
of history they gave

and you think I got
to be a part of that.

How cool is that?

The first man ever to pitch

five career no-hitters.

He's beat Sandy Koufax
and his legend stature

just went up a notch.

crowd cheers]

Mrs. Ryan,
have you seen all of oth-

Nolan's other, uh no-hitters?

No, this is the first one.

It wasn't just a no-hitter.

It was a no-hitter
by a hometown kid.

He would always shine the
spotlight on a teammate.

I'm sitting in front of
my locker and Nolan

shows up and I'm looking
at him and he says,

TP, nice catch.

He's got all this stuff going
on with him and he had the,

the reserve in him to, to come
over to my locker and say,

hey nice catch, 10 minutes
after the ball game.

I was like, I mean
that's, that's,

that's pretty special.

Terry Puhl, a long
way to go for it,

making a running
catch for the out.

But that's the play.

When Nolan came to the Astros,

we were now big
kids on the block.

These Astros,
collectively, it's good team.

The Astros never got
respect nationally.

Nolan gave them
respect nationally.

Steps on first and
the Astros have won

the National League West.

Making the playoffs
really catapulted the Astros

even higher than
the football team.

Game five from the Astrodome

in Houston, Texas and for
the third time in 12 years,

the National League
Championship Series

will go the limit.

It was the best of five series
to get to the world series.

That's kind of hard to believe,

but that was cool because
we had Nolan on the mound

for game five.

Top of the eighth,
big Tex toe in the rubber,

and only six outs
to send the 'Stros

to their first
ever World Series.

Let's watch Nolan
channel some of that old

miracle Mets magic.

You don't give
this big guy on the mound

a lead going into the
eighth or ninth inning

because he's held that lead
well over a hundred times

in his career.

That's a little looper,

and it's passed Reynolds.

Here's Boone with Bowa on first.

Back, off the pitchers glove.

There'll be no play.

That's gotta be a double play.

It's right there, but behind
him just a little bit.

Greg Gross drops down a
perfect bunt, bases loaded.

And then the top of
the order came up.

3-2, nobody out.

It's outside, ball four.

Forces in a run.

The next thing you know,
all hell broke loose.

Phillies have scored five runs

in the eighth inning.

It was the most crushing
game in Astros history,

because they were just
so close to World Series.

Maddox going... it's over!

The Phillies win it.

In the 1980 season, I just
think after being a free agent

and having a million dollar
contract and the people's

expectations of what you
coming to a ball club

meant to that club and
then us getting so close

and not getting it done,
I think probably

stuck with me more than just
about any other season.

The game breaks
your heart a lot.

Both of those years, 80 and 86

for all the good parts,
those were tough losses.

Three and two to Bass.

Strike him out!

New York Mets have won

the 1986 National
League pennant.

After 86, we kinda took a
turn in the wrong direction.

I, I can't tell you why.

I'm getting to a stage
of my career where I don't

have that much longer
to play and uh-

- How many more years?
- Well, you know, who knows.

He was not gonna be
satisfied with the team

not competing nor
should he have been.

1987, they put 'em
on a pitch count.

100 pitches, you're
out of the game.

Pitching great, I don't care.

100 pitches, you're
out of the game.

I remember Nolan angrily
laughing at pitch count.

What are you talking
about, 100 pitches?

When I started the game, my
intent was to finish the game

and I really wasn't
interested in

turning it over to the bullpen.

He took it as a personal insult

if he didn't finish a game.

Today, it's a miracle if a
pitcher throws nine innings.

Nolan, anything like a
pitch count was ridiculous.

It was just a crazy year.

I was 8-16, but led
the league in ERA and,

and strike outs.

Only more miserable
than his record,

was life in the dugout with
Nolan during those days.

He was tough to be around

because he was
demanding that the

offense gets something done.

Strike!

We didn't score, but
our standing joke was

I get you one today.
I get you one.

I said that better hold up.

Cause these other guys,
they ain't hitting today.

He had 15 starts where we scored

two runs or fewer.

And another stat
that I looked up,

in July he was 0-5.

We scored seven runs
in five games.

The 0-2 pitch,

got it!

The Astros have stranded
15 through seven.

Adding insult to injury,

the next season in 88,

Nolan tangled with
mercurial Astros owner

John McMullen during
contract negotiations.

McMullen was a difficult
person to be involved with.

John was gonna ask
Nolan to take a pay cut.

The owner, who I used
to refer to on the air,

as the ayatollah McMullen,

offered him a 20%
hometown discount.

My dad, he never
asked for a raise.

From 80 to 88,
nine seasons, no raise

because he wanted
that money to go

to building a better team.

He pulled the family together
around the dinner table

and said, look guys, we
don't know what's out there.

We're gonna, we're gonna see.

The Yankees called,

the Angels called,

we had a team in Japan call,

and then the Rangers were there.

And it wasn't really
about the money

or the quality of the club,

as much as it was about

he wanted to be as close
to home as possible.

All right, we get everybody?

Dear Lord, thank
you for this day

and this week that we all
get to spend together.

Please bless this meal
going in to our bodies

and let us continue to work
in all we do to glorify you.

- Jesus, I pray. Amen.
- Amen.

All right, ladies first.

- Y'all lead the way, ladies.
- Okay, I'll go first.

Nolan Ryan is a person
who prioritizes family.

And he's had a great career,
a lot of fame

but he always put
his family first.

When we were at home,

he was dad.

And then the minute he
walked into the clubhouse,

he was Nolan Ryan
the competitor,

and then he didn't come out

of the clubhouse until he
was ready to be dad again.

He never brought that home.

Hey, to family.

To Nana and Papa,
who started it all.

His persona's this
like this giant of a man

who's amazing at baseball.

You think of him
like this tough guy,

but he's really
sweet and intentional

with all of the grandkids.

He loves coming to
our sporting events,

doing everything he
can to support us.

And also he just loves
the family being together.

My grandmother,
we call her Nanamoo.

She's like who I
wanna be in life.

She is the most selfless
person I've ever known.

She's my--

I don't know, I love her.

She's nurturing and supportive,

but also the most competitive
person I've ever met,

which is funny when
your grandfather's like,

arguably the best baseball
pitcher of all time,

to say my grandmother's
significantly more competitive.

My mom is definitely the
most competitive person
in our family.

By far.

My mom was a 1965 state
doubles tennis champion.

It was really good
in my dad's career

to have somebody at home that
didn't give you the like,

"Oh, that's okay
you lost, Nolan."

Really, she pushed him to
be the best he could be.

After the games,

my adrenaline would be
going pretty big.

I would wanna rehash the
games with him and he did not.

That was over and done with.

Now, I can watch a game
and enjoy it more

because I'm not just
dying with every pitch

and it's not like your
livelihood depends on

what's going on out there.

I can remember going to
Eddie Chiles, our owner,

and saying, "We might have
a chance to sign Nolan

but it doesn't appear that
he fits in our budget."

And Eddie Chiles said,

"You go sign Nolan Ryan,

let me worry about where the
money's gonna come from."

I remember vividly,

Tom Grieve and I in this
silly hotel hallway,

jumping up and down,

doing like spins in the air,

slapping each other five,

thinking we just pulled
off the impossible.

The Texas Rangers have
entered into a contract

with Nolan Ryan.

They're probably 10 members

of the Dallas Fort
Worth media there.

Not one of us had a clue

and everybody's kinda
looking at each other,

like, "This is great!"

And then like in the
next breath it's,

"Wait a minute.
How old is Nolan?"

And, now there were
no smartphones,

so we actually had
go to the books.

He's gonna be 41,

but in Houston,
they still cuss it.

Even today,

all these years later
they'll be cussing that one.

He was always such a class guy,

but you knew when he
went to the Rangers,

he wanted to...

to John McMullen.

The day we signed Nolan Ryan,

it was like we became
a Major League team.

- Sorry about that.
- Oh, no worries.

That's mine.

Hey, just go grab it.

That afternoon, the phone
started ringing in Arlington

and we had 250, 300 calls

for people inquiring about
season tickets for 1989.

And for us, believe me,
that was a lot.

There's no better way
to sell tickets in Texas

than to say "Buy a ticket and
come and watch Nolan Ryan."

He's a hero to many Texans.

I used to watch him
when I was a little kid.

This is a legend

and now he's coming
to the Rangers.

Being with the team that had
very little notoriety at all

it was like Elvis
had come aboard.

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday dear Nolan

♪ Happy birthday to you

The fans just loved the fact
that he was in his forties

and he was still pitching
and competing with these,

you know, youngsters.

That is what gave him that aura

of being something special.

I didn't feel old.

I'd sit in that clubhouse

and I was older
than the manager,

and older than the coaches,

and older than the
general manager.

Then some of my teammates,

I was older than their parents.

Then you start thinking,

maybe you are old.

One run in
in the fourth for Detroit.

In that first game,
Nolan was struggling a bit.

Bobby sent me out.

I said, "Nolan, how you doing?"

He said, "Tom, I'm
doing horse shit

but it's way better than
what you got warming up

in that bullpen.

Get the hell off my mound."

So I did.

Bobby said, "What did he say?"

I said, "Bobby, you
don't wanna know."

It really wasn't an
enjoyable act

of going to the mound

and taking him out of the game.

We learned early on,

that if he thought
he had something left

and it was better than
what we had warming up,

you were not gonna get
him off that mound.

Another K goes up.

I took a lot of
pride in the fact

that I was still able to compete

on that level at that age.

He got better.
That's the amazing thing.

How many power pitchers
can you think of,

get better as they get older?

That's not the way it works.

He just blew it by.

It was the talk of baseball.

How can this guy still pitch

and be so effective at his age?

And then they start
talking about,

okay, what does he do?

I used to work out
with Nolan Ryan.

His workout routine was
rigorous for a 20-year-old,

much less, a 40-year-old.

His arm is the
most feared in baseball.

Got him swinging.

Comes to the ballpark,

ride that bicycle for two hours

and then to the trainer room,

and then go out running,

and then comes in,

and then do weights.

He does that day in and day out,

except the day before he pitch.

That was the goal,

to recover as fast as I
could from the last start,

so I would be at my peak
for the next start.

Call strike three,

there's 300.

Nolan Ryan for the
sixth time in career

has struck out 300
or more batters.

That time was the
perfect storm, so to say.

We had the best of old school

and everything that
Nolan represented

and the best of the new school,

which was technology
and science.

We were filming Nolan

with the little balls all over
his body in a 3D environment

to try to figure out
the best way to throw,

the best way to be conditioned.

And just, pull the books.

He was actually a better
pitcher from age 39 to 46

than at any time in his career.

Well, I have two books here--

We list alphabetically
the strikeouts.

From Hank Aaron, who he
struck out four times,

Paul Zuvella, who
he struck out once.

Claudell Washington
sits at the top at 39,

and he struck out 61 players,

15 or more times.

27 Hall of Famers,

seven father and
son combinations,

brothers.

The three Alous, Felipe,
Jesus, Matty Alou.

Joe and Phil Niekro.

Cal and Bill Ripkin.

Just, you know, Hall of Famers,

just all over the map.

My brother, Billy
and I would laugh.

We're on his list.

I faced him when they
said he didn't throw hard.

So he was throwing as hard
as anybody in the league.

Records are meant to be
broken, but not this one.

Tonight, Nolan Ryan went
after career strikeout

number 5,000.

The spotlight of the baseball
world

is on this man tonight,
Nolan Ryan.

4,994 strikeouts

in his 22nd year in
the major leagues.

When I introduced Nolan Ryan

as the starting pitcher,

"And on the mound
for the Rangers,

number 34, Nolan..."

And that's about as far
as anybody would hear

because by that time,
the crowd's roaring.

Well, you know
something's up in baseball

when the President's
office calls

during the day of the game

to get the coordinates for
the satellite transmission

so that the President
on vacation can watch.

And here is by far the
easiest Oakland hitter

to strike out.

He strikes out about
one every three times.

Breaking ball.

4,995.

Strike three!

4,996.

4,997.

4,998.

Fast ball.

Four, nine, nine, nine.

And now Nolan Ryan,
closing in.

Ricky Henderson leading off
at the top of the fifth.

Before the game, he told me,

for the 5,000th strikeout,

he was gonna strike out

either Ricky Henderson or
Jose Canseco.

Everybody here's perched

on this historic moment.

Voila!

The moment we've
been waiting for.

And as he threw the pitch,

the entire stadium went up
in like one big flash bowl.

Like this, of light.

The ball went in at 97 and
Ricky Henderson fouled it off.

I don't know how he did it.

I was sitting with
Bart Giamani,

Barbara and Jenna, and Laura.

I'll never forget Jenna saying,

"Dad, it looks like
there's a lot of fireflies

in the stadium."

I just want
to get your take on.

Okay.

You don't have to
watch the whole thing.

Well, if I'm in there,
I might as well, right?

How do you make it work?

Oh.

Two, exploding breaking ball.

First of all, you
can hear the crowd.

Three balls, two strikes.

Strike three!!

Strike out number 5,000.

It's history for Nolan Ryan.

Okay, I mean, he kinda
tips his hat,

he doesn't glorify
in the moment.

That's unbelievable.

Nolan Ryan gets number 5,000.

Well Nolan,
5,000 been approached,

what about 6,000?

I can honestly say Norm,

I don't think I'll
be around for it.

Here we are in Arlington Stadium
where my father, Nolan Ryan,

and the doctor, Tom House,

had been working on a
week-long rehab program.

So you think you're gonna
be ready to pitch the 19th?

Oh, I don't know.

A couple more months and
I'll be ready for the

Mr. Universe Contest.

He's getting in shape so
that he can try to beat me

on the tennis court.

Have your biceps gotten larger?

You can come over to
the French Riviera

next summer when I'm in
competition and look.

My picture will be on the
cover of 40 and older.

Fit and over 40, huh?

Fit and over 40, Mr. Universe.

Fit and way over 40, huh?

I'm gonna bring the
crown home to the U.S.

Pete really thought he
was gonna go to Arlington

and play one more year.

And we would talk, you know,
in the off season,

and he'd say, "Reese,
I need to keep playing,

I have to keep playing."

He was enjoying it and
he was competitive.

He was actually dominant.

Payoff pitch, got him swinging.

Strikeout number
12 for Nolan Ryan,

and he has not
thrown a no-hitter

since September the 26th, 1981.

I don't think that
you can retire

when you're pitching no-hitters.

A 2-0 pitch.

Fly ball, right field.

Number six to Nolan Ryan.

The express has
done it once again.

When we signed Nolan,
we never anticipated

that these things
were gonna happen.

Nolan's sixth no-hitter,

5,000 strikeouts,

300 wins.

Nolan Ryan,
his 300th career victory.

So as that unfolded,

it just built the
legend up more and more.

The bright lights on Nolan

were somehow getting
even brighter.

This was a
whole new generation

of hitters he was facing.

New superstars who wanted to
take the old legend head on.

Bo Jackson said bats were epic.

I remember people running
out of the clubhouse

to see Nolan and Bo.

Two big-horned sheep
bucking heads, right there.

He hits it well,
it could be very deep

and it's gone!

He hit one of the
longest home runs

that I've ever seen

and that's not even the event

that people remember most
between Bo Jackson and Nolan.

The next 20, 25 years,

you could not go to a sports bar

in America, Canada, Mexico,

been to all of them,

and that picture
wasn't up there.

It's amazing how you
keep telling a story,

how it grows and
grows and grows.

Well, I think anytime you
put Bo Jackson and Nolan Ryan

in the same sentence,

it's got a chance to.

Everybody says,

"Oh, Bo hit a rocket
right off of his mouth."

It was a routine ground ball.

He hits a little topper,

and the ball got lost
in the rain drops.

The ball split his lip open.

Nolan could stick his tongue
through his lip, right here.

'Cause it was, like,
cut from there down.

He finished that inning somehow.

In between innings he
went into the clubhouse,

Dr. Makowski stitched him up,

went back out and
finished the game.

You think he was
intimidating before?

Try facing him with
his Ranger uniform

just covered with blood.

Now, that's intimidating.

This is Big Tex.

His legend can't grow anymore.

Then you have the
Robin Ventura moment.

I'll run into somebody

and that might be the
third question they ask me.

I find it amusing
that of all the things

that happened in my career,

that's one of the things
I'm remembered for.

46-year-old veteran, Nolan Ryan.

It'll go down in
Texas sports lore

as a defining moment.

Texans just love that.

There's a base
hit into the left field.

There comes Carl.

They're waving him around
as Gonzales gets to it.

Okay, now.

For those uninitiated,

this isn't the iconic
moment we're talking about.

Don't worry, we'll get there.

But to truly appreciate it,

let's rewind it back a bit.

It's my last
season in San Diego,

and I'm gonna be the top
free agent on the market.

I'm gonna play hard,

but I'm certainly gonna
protect myself.

Nolan Ryan came up and in
on me three times that game.

And I said, "Oh hell!"

I was running so fast
trying to get Dave

before he got to Nolan.

'Cause Dave was huge
and Nolan's big.

I said it's a bull
hitting a big-ass horse.

Enos Cabell and the
guys are grabbing,

"Hey, Winnie, stop, stop!"

We laugh about it later on,

but that was truly, I think,
one of the few times

that I, you know, you lose it.

I realized after he came out

that his intent was to hurt me.

And I was going to
take the position,

that if anybody ever
came to the mound again

then I was gonna
be the aggressor.

Welcome to Arlington stadium

for game three of
this four-game series

between The Sox and
The Texas Rangers.

The White Sox were actually

in the American League West
at that time.

Had Bo Jackson.

And the Rangers had had these
battles with these guys.

His only Major League homer.

Coming off of Nolan.

What? Ooh.

Oh, he's hit.

Oh my goodness,
look at this.

And so this one night,
the White Sox said,

"If Nolan hits anybody
tonight, whoever it is,

you're gonna go to the mound."

There was a bounty
on Nolan's head.

If you get hit by Nolan and
you don't charge the mound,

it's gonna cost you 500 bucks.

Ventura happened to be the
first one that day to get hit.

When Robin Ventura
went out there,

I just thought he
wasn't quite serious.

He wasn't fully committed.

Most guys who charge the mound,

if you had a microphone on him,

you could hear him say
"Grab me catcher,

grab me catcher,
I don't want to get out there."

Before you could blink,
Nolan had him

like a baby calf in a headlock.

Grabbing like he
was grabbing a bull.

I was right there,
best seat in the house.

When I went down,
I was on the bottom

of the pile and I was laying
face first into the dirt.

It was one of the scariest
moments of my life.

I couldn't breathe.

And I really truly thought
that I was gonna pass out.

I'm really upset because
I never saw Nolan get up.

Then all of a sudden this
big arm came into the pile

and reached under my
shoulder and pulled me out.

And it was Bo Jackson.

You know, at first
I was just like,

get him dad, get him.

But then I was also thinking
I'm never gonna get a date.

People were already intimidated

by my dad being Nolan Ryan.

And now I thought, great.

You know, nobody's
gonna ask me out.

I loved it.

I absolutely loved it.

And then Robin get kicked out,

but Nolan didn't,
that was even better.

So Ventura
definitely has been ejected.

Ryan holds a lot of records,

but this may be a new one.

Most punches thrown
without getting thrown out.

And the momentum had shifted
and they come back and win.

I mean, that's amazing.

Ryan's setting
down 12 of the next 13

many faced without
allowing a hit.

I think it became
such a legendary moment

because the photographers got
such great pictures of it.

That photo seemed
to make it everywhere

from t-shirts to billboards.

And at the end of
my dad's career

it ended up being the
most purchased photo.

Basically for everybody
in their 40s,

it was kind of a
rallying cry of,

"Hey, don't count us out yet."

Keep pulling.
Swing it over here.

Papa, we got some bad news,

the girls are dominating
the guys out here today.

Yeah, I don't know
what the deal is.

He got the most.

Ella has you beat.

Yep, Ella caught that big fish.

I think Lela won,
she got the most.

Yeah, Lela got two.

I think whenever
he's with the family,

he's very different than
whenever we're out and about.

It's fun to see him joking
around and just hanging out.

Sometimes we'll be at
dinner and stuff

and they'll be like, oh my God,

can you sign this
baseball or sign this card?

He's like, sure.

That's really it though.

Wait, do that impression again.

Uh, sure.

We have some comedians
in our family.

I'm Nolan Ryan,

and I'm here to sell you Advil.

Hi, I'm Nolan Ryan and I'm
here to sell you some Advil.

It's good!

Here to sell you some
Advil, I like that.

It's the medicine
doctors recommend most

for sprains and strains, Advil.

For me, it's a couple of Advil

and those muscle aches
are long gone.

He had the Advil commercials,

which basically played
in perfectly

to a 42-year-old pitcher.

He got a lot of grief
from the clubhouse

from the younger
players about that.

We'd bust his chops
a little bit.

Hey Noley, you're gonna
go have a couple Advil

after you just got done.

You know, just kind of
messing with him a little bit.

It was fun.

I always loved the ones that
he and my mom did together.

I take it for my arthritis pain

so we can exercise together.

Advil stronger than pain.

If you weren't a
hardcore baseball fan,

you've got to know Nolan Ryan.

They're not getting older.
They're just getting better.

Because of
that national exposure.

Hey, I wouldn't steer you wrong.

While Noley was becoming quite

adept at pitching products,

many folks wondered if
he'd ever lose steam

pitching fast balls.

The express couldn't
run forever.

I watched him during
his warmup and it's ugly.

It's not good at all.

I had a back problem and
I told Tom warming up.

I said, "Look you might
want to tell Bobby

to get somebody ready."

As I watched him begin to
go up the steps of the dugout,

he looked down and said,

"This might be it."

Here comes
44-year-old Nolan Ryan.

An arousing ovation
from his Texas fans

as he takes the mount.

And I called down to the bullpen

and had the relief
pitcher get loose

while Nolan was getting
loose out on the field.

And I literally thought
before that game started

that I was gonna have
to explain to people

that it was over for Nolan Ryan.

Strikes him out.

We're standing 13 pitches,

get a couple of 97s, 98s

off of that terrible warmup.

And Ryan gets the
job done for the Rangers.

They're coming to bat
in a moment.

When we went off the field

in the first inning,

Jeff Houston and I

looked at each other
with that look like,

he's got it.

So let's bear down.

And he looks to the
guys around him

and he said, "Boys!"

And everybody stops
'cause Nolan is talking.

He said, "Get me one.

It's all I'm gonna need today."

That's all I'm gonna need.

I said, okay, this
fucking game is over.

That's his sixth strike out!

Seven strike outs now!

The longer I threw,
I developed more rhythm

and my back wasn't to the
point that I couldn't throw.

And so it just
all came together.

Ryan in no-hit range once again

here in Texas tonight.

He went to that zone where
all the superstars go.

The quantitative
definition of the zone

is when thinking is
inversely proportionate

to the stimulus of
the environment.

So in those high octane,
no-hitter situations.

When the crowds going nuts,

all this chaos is going on.

You know what his world is like?

Pitch, glove, pitch, glove,
nothing else exists.

And this game was not
on local television.

So you had to be
following the radio.

And it created a buzz.

I remember a friend calling
me and saying, you know,

my sons are driving to
Arlington right now.

And he said, because
they think Nolan Ryan

is gonna complete his no-hitter.

The crowd got bigger
as the night went on.

The bleachers were filling up.

The tension was rising.

Lee makes contact

coming hard has
managed to keep...

The no-hitters intact!

Being a pitcher, you're
watching him going out

again at that age just
saying here I am, man.

I'm coming at you
with my best stuff.

Number 14.

Lights out on the
eighth inning.

Fifteen strike outs.

Ryan, three outs away from
no-hit number seven.

Stay with us right
here on CTV.

Canada's no-hit network.

And now the only man
standing between Nolan Ryan,

the seventh career no-hitter,

is Toronto second baseman
Roberto Alomar.

Like everybody else tonight,
he's 0 for three.

And that's strike one.

Robby Alomar used to
take pitching lessons

from my dad, his dad and
my dad were teammates.

Strike two!

And so the fact that this
little boy he used to

play catch with is now
who he has to strike out--

to accomplish his task
is pretty amazing.

One ball and two strikes,

fly ball left field deep.

Toward the wall and
it is over and out.

It is a grand slam home run.

Not what you
were expecting, huh?

Nolan Ryan is a legend.

No doubt.

But he is human.

After all the strikeouts,

all the records,

only time could
stop the express.

And Seattle
has a five-nothing lead

with nobody out in the first.

My elbow was bothering me a lot.

I tried to pitch through it

hoping that it would get
better, but it didn't.

There's Maggot in two-one pitch

inside three and one.

It just popped.

And now Dan,
oh boy, Danny Wheat's

coming out to talk to Nolan.

That's not good.

I knew that I'd torn
that tendon in my elbow.

And I knew that was it.

Oh boy.

Oh, you just hope

this isn't the way
the rocket ends.

That was a hard moment

to see a legend like
that walking out.

His time in the majors
was unbelievable.

I don't usually
cry at a ball game,

but I cried because
it's just sad to see him

not finish that game.

We just had to be thankful
for what he had accomplished,

what he proved to himself,

and just be happy with that.

Even though it was sad.

You know the first
spring training I missed,

boy, I had this feeling I
should be doing something,

working out, throwing.

Mm-hmm

And it was really weird that,

that wasn't part
of my life anymore.

I always said that there's
life after baseball.

Even though you prepare yourself

and you think you should
be able to handle it,

it's still a challenge,
you know.

It took me two years,
not being a player,

to finally put it behind me.

He pitched 27 years.

He's an iron man.

Talk about donating
your organs.

Nolan should donate
his right arm

to the Cooperstown when he dies

'cause there's never
been one like it.

Anybody on there surprise you
at all, by numbers?

Well Gaylord, you know,

he wasn't really a
strikeout pitcher,

but he pitched so long.

First Bob Gibson,
then him, more.

Mm-hmm

The baseball Hall
of Fame is probably

the most difficult
sports club to enter.

You think about the
total number of people

who've ever put on a
Major League uniform.

It's literally one percent,
the best of the best,

that end up here with
their plaque on the wall

in Cooperstown.

Over here on the left.

A fierce competitor

and one of baseball's
most intimidating figures.

On the pitching mound
for four decades,

his overpowering fastball
and unappealing longevity

produced 324.

Unparalleled.

Unparalleled longevity.

You want her to start over?

No, that's great, that's great.

His overpowering fastball
and unparalleled longevity

produced 324 victories and a
host of Major League records.

Lifetime benchmarks
include 5,714 strikeouts.

He stuck him out swinging.

I'm second to him in strikeouts

and he's got a thousand
more strikeouts than me.

Congratulations, Nolan,
and welcome to Cooperstown.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This is indeed a special day
and I'm privileged to be here.

It took me a while to realize

what a gift that
I had been given.

And when I finally did,
I dedicated myself

to be the best pitcher
I possibly could be

for as long as I
possibly could be.

For Nolan to pitch 27
years in the Major Leagues,

it takes so much work
behind the scenes.

Ups and downs inside
your mind and your heart

and your body to go out there
and do it time and time again.

I'd like to say thank you

to the guys that I
faced over my career.

I can honestly say that
I'm enjoying seeing 'em now

more than I ever have.

And I really didn't
particularly care for 'em

when they had their uniforms on.

So guys, I appreciate it.

First time I really
got to know Nolan

was when we both went in
the Hall of Fame that year,

and guess what, I was
still intimidated.

I didn't have to face him.
I was nervous being around him.

And to play as long as I did,

and to have a family,

you have to be very blessed.

And I was with my wife, Ruth.

And my three fine children,
Reed, Reese and Wendy.

Baseball life's a tough
life on your family.

One, two, three.

And to be able
to play as long as I did,

and have the support that
I had from my family.

I can't tell you how, how
much that means to me.

We would be here all day
if I had to list all the ways

that my dad's made a difference
in my life.

Just the example of the kind
of human being I want to be,

and I want my children to be.

I'm extremely lucky.

I may be gone, but
I won't forget you.

And I appreciate all those times

that you supported me over
the 27 years that I played,

and my family.

Thank you.

There was certain
lions in the league

and there was a lot of lambs.

Nolan was a lion.

When the books are written,

Nolan's going to be up there
with all the greats.

There's not ever gonna
be another Nolan Ryan.

Out of the many records
that Nolan Ryan has,

the seven no-hitters is
never gonna be broken.

The man has more strikeouts
than anybody will ever have

in the history of the game.

Nobody's ever gonna break it.

No chance.

He's struck out
5,700 plus hitters.

I'm not one of them.

And the only reason that is
is that I've never faced him.

Swing and miss.

Ryan did every
element of pitching

in a bigger way than anybody
who ever played the game.

He didn't just walk hitters.

He walked the most ever,
struck out the most ever.

He allowed the fewest hits ever.

Threw the most no-hitters ever.

So every part of him is this
Paul Bunyan-esque character.

He's just this larger
than life figure.

But at the end, you're like

"where does it
Nolan Ryan stand?"

And there's no
good answer to that

because there's nobody
to compare him to.

He's an icon to the
game of baseball.

It's almost folklore.

When you think about what
he was able to accomplish

and how long he did it.

I don't remember facing
anybody like him.

Ultimately in life,

you can have success
on the field

but really what matters
in the long term

is a good set of values.

And that's what
Nolan Ryan exemplifies.

His legacy will be that
he had a God-given talent

and he worked hard
at his talent.

I'm really proud of that

but I'm just so proud
of him as a person.

I guess I'm just
his biggest fan.

My mom played a huge role.

Without Ruth Ryan,
Nolan Ryan's career would

never have lasted 27 years
in the Major Leagues.

She has given up so much
for our family.

I never dreamed this would
happen, but, then again,

I just wanted to be with him.

Three, two, one.

Everything about Nolan Ryan
is rather mythical.

And I think it always will be.

Long after us,

it'll still be mythical.

I guess it was kinda like,

I was born to be a pitcher.

That's it,
number seven is in the books.

The remarkable Ryan
has done it again.

Now you didn't really think

we'd leave out the seventh
no-hitter, did you?

Here's to one hell
of run, Big Tex.

They don't even know
what a soap opera is.

Yeah, I have it.

Oh, you're watching
it right now?

- Hello, Nolan.
- Hi, Mary.

I just wanted to come by
and thank you for yesterday

and drop this picture
off you asked for.

Oh, how nice of you.

You had hair!

Well, I guess I better go.

I just want to drop
that picture by.

Oh, well you just come by
anytime you're in town.

Most appreciated.

Yes ma'am, thank you.
Nice seeing you.

Goodbye.

Hey, after watching this,
let me tell you,

it's a good thing you
stuck with baseball,

not acting.

♪ Well, one of these
days gonna pay the road. ♪

♪ Yeah, one of these days
going to run for fun. ♪

♪ Yeah one these days,
when you're all alone. ♪

♪ Out back wishing for
the grass to grow, oh ♪

Do, I think my dad's the
greatest pitcher of all time.

In some ways I would say no.

And in some ways I'd say yes.

When you pitch as deep as he did

and you pitch it for
as long as he did,

there's gonna be numbers
that if somebody

wants to make the argument,
well, you know

he's the all-time walk leader.

Or he has nearly 300 losses.

Well, that's a valid argument,

but that is also what
comes with the territory

when you are a power pitcher
and you pitch as long as he did.

You know, you got Randy Johnson,
you got Roger Clemens

you got Tom Sever,
and I'm being biased.

But I think, bar none,
Nolan, as a power pitcher,

is at the head of that list.

Nolan Ryan definitely
top five of all time.

No doubt about it.

I caught that dude, man.

I mean, I caught Nolan Ryan.

I caught him.

He can rank right up there

with some of the old pitchers,
Sandy Koufax,

people that have
accomplished enormous

success in baseball.

There has been pitchers
that have won more than him

that have a better ERA.

But in the history of baseball,

he was the most
dominating pitcher

that the game has ever seen.

We gotta end on that.

That was perfect.

Yeah, it felt like,
wow, that was--

You nailed it.

Wow, I was looking in the
camera and I felt, wow.

Well that's the way a
documentary should end.