Nolan Ryan pitched his 5th no hitter on this day in 1981. It was in the middle of a pennant race between the Astros and Dodgers plus a national audience (NBC Saturday Game of the Week). Let me add that I was lucky to catch the last few innings. In the 9th inning, Ryan struck out Reggie Smith, a pinch-hitter for his 11th strikeout of the game. Ken Landreaux and Dusty Baker grounded out to complete the gem. Yes, the same Dusty Baker who is now the Astros' manager.
What's amazing is that he threw 2 more! # 6 came 9 years later against the Oakland A's but I fell asleep because it was one of those Pacific time games that we hate on Central Time. I woke up the next morning kicking myself for not drinking more coffee and staying awake. # 7 was here in Arlington and incredibly not on TV. Most of us heard that one on the radio.
What made Ryan so remarkable is that you always expected something special when he took the mound, as Talmage Boston, the author of "Baseball and the Baby Boomer" wrote in an article for The Society of Baseball Research:
The most enduring memory of Texas Rangers fans who witnessed the Ryan Express during his five glorious years in Arlington, from 1989 to 1993, was not a statistic but a sound.
Every time the 40-something power pitcher delivered his heat, he threw the ball with such total passion that a bellowing grunt could be heard throughout the ballpark.
By the way, I was at the stadium in 1989 when he took a perfect game to the 9th. Unfortunately, the Tigers broke it with one out. I missed my chance to watch history!
On the political front, his first 2 no-hitters came under President Nixon, the next 2 under President Ford, the aforementioned # 5 under President Reagan and the last 2 under the first President Bush. Maybe he liked the GOP or that's what happens when voters elect a Republican in 7 elections between 1968-2004.
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