Over the last month, Sneaker Report has covered performances from two of the greatest baseball pitchers in recent history in Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens. However, there's one hurler who arguably outclasses them all: Nolan Ryan. During his MLB record 27-year playing career, "The Ryan Express" took the mound for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. T
he eight-time All-Star holds a number of records, including the most strikeouts of all time with 5,714 throughout his career. And it doesn't stop there for Ryan—Sandy Koufax is the only other Hall of Fame pitcher who has more strikeouts than innings pitched. Similarly, only Ryan and Jackie Robinson can make the claim of having their numbers retired by at least three different teams.
The Ryan Express retired in 1993, but not before racking up a few more records. On July 31, 1990, Ryan earned the 300th win of his career as the Rangers downed the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3. This made Ryan just the 20th player in history to attain the feat, and he's currently ranked with the 14th highest win total of all time at 324.
The current owner and CEO of the Texas Rangers showed a strong allegiance to the Nike Swoosh throughout his record-setting major league tenure. He wore Nike cleats on the mound, but also helped to market cross-training options such as the Air Trainer E Low. There's also his unforgettable western-themed ad campaign which further cemented Ryan as a battle-hardened veteran.
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