Facing Nolan Ryan Now Streaming on Netflix Overview

Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr., nicknamed “the Ryan Express”, is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive.

Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball spanning four decades, Ryan pitched for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers

Born in Refugio, Texas in 1947, Ryan grew up playing baseball, football and basketball.

“One day he got to go see Sandy Koufax pitch and he got a front-row seat. It was a flashpoint in his life because he saw the way a professional pitched. It was one of those, ‘I think I could maybe do this.’ Within 10 or 11 years, he’d broken all of Sandy Koufax’s records.”

Nolan Ryan’s numbers tell a story, but numbers alone do not capture his essence.

Certain flash-points have emblazoned him onto our sub-conscience: like pitching with his jersey covered in blood, running a cattle ranch during the off season, and the iconic brawl where Nolan walloped the 20 years younger Robin Ventura.

Despite mythical moments and statistical brilliance, Ryan’s career is a study in extremes.

Not only does he hold the record for most walks and most wild pitches, but he’s also given up the most grand-slams and the most stolen bases.

Many of today’s baseball analysts don’t consider him to be among the greats.

With all this in mind, the film will pose the question: Where does Ryan fit in the ever evolving game of baseball?

Facing Nolan Ryan Now Streaming Career

Ryan honed his craft after joining the California Angels from 1972 to 1979 as his pitching coach corrected a habit of bailing off the mound to his left during his follow-through.

“A lightbulb went off once he got to the Angels,” Jackson said. “Nowadays, pitchers have a five-day rotation.

Nolan Ryan pitched on just a four-day rotation.

The idea was if you started a game, you finished it – Nolan was regularly pitching nine innings.

In ’73, he threw two no-hitters within 60 days of each other.

He pretty much threw four no-hitters in four years.

Ryan moved home to the Houston Astros from 1980 to 1988, including no-hitter No. 5.

“That was the one that broke Koufax’s record,” Jackson said. “He kind of thought the no-hit aspect of his career was done, but he just had one of those games. It was a big nationally-televised game against the Dodgers on a Sunday afternoon, a sold-out crowd, he threw No. 5. At that point, everyone was like, ‘What more can this guy do?’”

He joined the Texas Rangers in 1989.

“His time with the Rangers is really magical,” Jackson said. “He’s 41 years old and I think a lot of people thought it was a PR stunt. In his first season, he was incredibly dominant. He was incredible. He led the league in strikeouts with like a 2-point-something ERA, he cracks 5,000 (career) strikeouts, and then the next year he throws his sixth no-hitter.”

“He made such a lasting impression … as this larger-than-life figure, this mythic tall tale, a Paul Bunyon-esque character,” Jackson said. “He really thought he was only going to pitch for one year (for the Rangers) and he ended up pitching five, throws two more no-hitters, gets his 300th win, beats up Robin Ventura on the mound, all of these iconic moments.”

Yes, he was in his 40s when he threw no-hitters No. 6 and No. 7, the latter at age 44.

Facing Nolan Ryan Now Streaming Honing The Art of Pitching

Ryan honed his craft after joining the California Angels from 1972 to 1979 as his pitching coach corrected a habit of bailing off the mound to his left during his follow-through.

“A lightbulb went off once he got to the Angels,” Jackson said. “Nowadays, pitchers have a five-day rotation.

He just had a four-day rotation.

The idea was if you started a game, you finished it.

Nolan was regularly pitching nine innings.

In ’73, he threw two no-hitters within 60 days of each other.

He pretty much threw four no-hitters in four years.”

During this time, his fastball speed was clocked at over 100 miles per hour.

“In 1974, they measured him at 100.9 mph,” Jackson said. “That was before they got the speed gun to where it is today where they’re measuring it from the point of release.

Back then fastball speed was measured 10 feet from the point of release, so the speed would have been 108.1 miles an hour.

The Guinness Book World Records has Nolan Ryan’s record for hardest fastball at 100.9mph.

However, when they measured the velocity the pitches were recorded at 10 feet from the plate, whereas today the pitches are recorded for velocity directly out of the hand. 

“Therefore, Nolan Ryan’s pitching speed as measured today would be at minimum 106 mph and could have been as high as 110 mph,” according to efastball.com, who extensively researched the science behind the radar used to track Ryan’s pitches.

Facing Nolan Ryan Now Streaming Stat’s

When he finally retired in 1993, his place in the MLB record books was astonishing.

Seven no-hitters.

Nolan Ryan is the all time MLB strikeout leader with 5,714 strikeouts, Randy Johnson 4,875, Roger Clemens 4,672, Steve Carlton 4,136, Bert Blyleven 3,701

Also, at the age of 26, Nolan Ryan recorded 383 strikeouts in 1973 in only 326 inning pitched – Sandy Koufax had 382 strikeouts in 1965 while pitching 335 innings.

Nolan Ryan was the first MLB pitcher to record six seasons with 300 or more strikeouts – Randy Johnson is the other.

The pitcher who holds the record for the most no-hitters, with seven in his career, is Nolan Ryan.

His first two came with the California Angels in 1973, one on May 15th and the other on July 15th.

He had two more with the Angels; the third on September 28, 1974 and the fourth June 1, 1975.

In addition to his seven no-hitters, he threw 12 one-hitters, tied with Feller for the most since at least 1901.

He also had 18 two-hitters, tied with Walter Johnson for the most in that same span.

Nolan Ryan pitched in both the AL and NL.

In the NL, Ryan’s ERA was 3.23, 135 wins, 132 losses, 2,364 IP, 2,359 SO, 68 HBP, 9 SO/9 and 4.3 W.

In the AL, Ryan’s ERA was 3.17, 189 wins, 160 losses, 3,021 IP, 3,355 SO, 90 HBP, 10 SO/9 and 4.9 W.

Ryan holds 51 total MLB records, including:
5,714 career strikeouts
215 career double-digit strikeout games
7 career no-hitters
12 career 1-hitters, tied with Bob Feller
18 career 2-hitters
31 career 3-hitters
15 200-strikeout seasons
6 300-strikeout seasons
6.555 career hits per nine innings
5.26 single-season hits per nine innings (1972)
Lowest batting average allowed, career (minimum 1500 innings) .204
26 seasons with at least one win
2,795 career walks
10 grand slams allowed (tied)
757 career stolen bases allowed
Nolan Ryan hit 2 home runs during his career, 1 while playing at home, 1 while on the road.

Ironically, Ryan never won a Cy Young Award, but his peers know his power.