Houston Astros Pitcher Nolan Ryan established a Major League Baseball pitching record on September 26, 1981….when he broke Dodgers Sandy Koufax MLB record of 4 no hitters pitched….when he basically insured a 5 – 0 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers….while on his way to a record of throwing 7 no-hitters in his 27 year career.
A list of The Ryan Express’ seven no hitters is as follows:
1. On May 15, 1973, pitching for California, he defeated Kansas City, 2-0, allowing three walks and striking out 12.
2. On July 15, 1973, pitching for California, he defeated Detroit, 6-0, allowing four walks and striking out 17.
3. On Sept. 28, 1974, pitching for California, he defeated Minnesota, 4-0, allowing eight walks and striking out 15.
4. On June 1, 1975, pitching for California, he defeated Baltimore, 1-0, allowing four walks and striking out 9.
5. On Sept. 26, 1981, pitching for Houston, he defeated Los Angeles, 5-0, allowing two walks and striking out 14….while breaking Dodgers Sandy Koufax Major League record of 4 no hitters….as immortalized in this video herewith.
6. On June 11, 1990, pitching for Texas, he defeated Oakland, 5-0, allowing two walks and striking out 14.
7. On May 1, 1991, pitching for Texas, he defeated Toronto, 5-0, allowing two walks and striking out 16.
Simply put, no one has ever come even close to Nolan Ryan’s 7 no hitters….which means he has several MLB records that may never be broken…..along with his 5,714 strikeouts record….and 2,795 walks record….all of which are etched in the records book for Major League Baseball for many decades to come.