Seven No-Hitters (but… no questions asked?)
May 1, 1991: On this date 31 years ago, Nolan Ryan pitched his record seventh no-hitter.
Ryan’s fastball on this magical night was clocked as high as 96 MPH. That’s fast. Really fast. Remarkably fast, when one considers Ryan was 44 years old, or about 15 years removed from what is considered a pitcher’s physical prime. In fact, Ryan had been a significantly better pitcher in his 40s than in his 20s — a feat about as rare as pitching multiple no-hitters.
Among those on the field celebrating Ryan’s lucky #7 are promising young slugger Juan Gonzalez[1]; star first baseman Rafael Palmeiro[2]; rookie catcher Pudge Rodriguez [3]; rotation-mate Kevin Brown[4]; MVP runner-up Ruben Sierra[5]; and Ryan’s close friend/pitching coach/fitness guru Tom House, who is almost famous for catching Hank Aaron’s 715th home run.
Ryan, of course, is very famous, for lots of things. Those no-hitters; those strikeouts; that mound presence; that astounding, confounding longevity.
Roger Clemens, who grew up idolizing and emulating Ryan, is also famous. Those Cy Young awards; those strikeouts; that mound presence … and a few other things. Like Ryan, Clemens pitched well into his dotage — and pitched very well.
Nolan Ryan
Age 25–29: 114 ERA+/10.1 SO9/25.9 WAR
Age 30–34: 118 ERA+/9.2 SO9/20.5 WAR
Age 35–39: 104 ERA+/8.9 SO9/11.7 WAR
Age 40–44: 121 ERA+/10.6 SO9/21.1 WAR
Ageless wonder! Fitness freak! Inspiration to us all!
Roger Clemens
Age 25–29: 159 ERA+/8.4 SO9/39.9 WAR*
Age 30–34: 145 ERA+/9.0 SO9/30.1 WAR
Age 35–39: 125 ERA+/9.0 SO9/23.8 WAR
Age 40–44: 146 ERA+/8.1 SO9/22.2 WAR
Fraud! Sham! Throw him from the top of the Mawnstah!
All of which is to say… well, we’re not saying much of anything, really. Certainly not as much as Ryan’s good friend House, who in 2005 told the San Francisco Chronicle that steroid use was widespread throughout the game for at least 50 years. “We were doing steroids they wouldn’t give to horses,” said House. “That was the ’60s, when nobody knew. The good thing is, we know now. There’s a lot more research and understanding.”
“Nobody knew.” House, of course, was referring to the dangers of steroids — not the widespread use of PEDs in the game. On that front, many people — for many, many years — knew a lot. House estimated six or seven pitchers per team were using in his day.
“We didn’t get beat, we got out-milligrammed,” he said. “And when you found out what they were taking, you started taking them.”
Nobody knew. And here’s the thing: On one front, we still don’t know. Nobody knows who did what; nobody knows when they did it; nobody knows how — or if — it helped.
Let’s be clear: There isn’t a shred of evidence Ryan ingested anything but corn-fed, ranch-bred, Lone-Star beef over the course of his singular career — just as there isn’t a shred of credible evidence his fellow Texan Roger Clemens used PEDs. Sure, there are connections to be found, if one wants to look (Ryan thanked House in his HOF speech). Maybe a whisper or two over the years (or in Clemens’ case, a full-throated roar). But nobody knows anything, except the selective indignation they feel when they think they know something about their personal heroes and villains.
So today we celebrate what we DO know. And we know this:
On this day 31 years ago, 44-yr old Nolan Ryan pitched the seventh no-hitter of his storied career. Using a mid-90s fastball and a knee-buckling curve, Ryan fanned 16 batters, walking two. After the final strikeout was recorded, Ryan’s young teammates swarmed the field, hoisting the middle-aged father of three onto their shoulders, their own spikes barely touching the turf such was the awe, the jubilation, the appreciation for what they had just seen.
Jeremy Lehrman is the author of Baseball’s Most Baffling MVP Ballots. For more baseball, click here.
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NOTES
[1] Implicated by Jose Canseco in his memoir, “Juiced”; named in the Mitchell report; caught with PEDs in his luggage.
[2] Implicated by Canseco; suspended in 2005 for failing a PEDs test.
[3]Implicated by Canseco.
[4] Named in the Mitchell report.
[5] Suspected of using steroids by Manager Bobby Valentine and others.
*An unfair comparison for Clemens, who posted 160 ERA+/18.2 WAR in his age 23–24 seasons.
