On this day in 1989 Nolan Ryan recorded the 5,000th strikeout of his professional baseball career.
During a game in Arlington Stadium in front of 42,000+ fans, Nolan Ryan became the first player to ever eclipse the 5,000 strikeout mark. And to do this in front of his home fans in the state he grew up in was especially monumental!!
In the top of the 5th inning with his team trailing 1-0, Ryan struck out All-star Rickey Henderson to capture #5,000!
Amazingly Ryan struck out 13 batters in this game. And although his team lost 2-0, this was Ryan’s night. Oh, and he was 42 years old at the time and still dominant as ever!!
Happy Anniversary Nolan Ryan!!!
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Imagine if he would have played for the Yankees or the Cards!
I was going to say the same thing Gerad. Imagine if he had the teams behind him that Roger Clemens had.