List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
"This list is for pitchers. For career strikeouts by batters, see List of Major League Baseball career strikeouts by batters leaders"
The following list is of the top 100 pitchers in career strikeouts in Major League Baseball. In baseball, a strikeout occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. Strikeouts are associated with dominance on the part of the pitcher and failure on the part of the batter.
Nolan Ryan has the most career strikeouts in Major League Baseball. During a record 27-year career, he struck out 5,714 batters. The American League record is held by Roger Clemens (4,167 strikeouts), while in the National League, the record is 4,000 by Steve Carlton.
The parentheses adjacent to an active player denote the number of strikeouts in the current season. The last change in the cutoff for the top 100 occurred on June 22, 2024, when Charlie Morton struck out his 1,957th batter, displacing Whitey Ford.
List.
A player is considered "inactive" if he has not played baseball for one year or has announced his retirement.
References.
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Nolan Ryan
American baseball player (born 1947)
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), 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 (MLB), Ryan pitched for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. After his retirement in 1993, Ryan served as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Texas Rangers and an executive advisor to the Houston Astros. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 in his first year of eligibility, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time.
Ryan was a right-handed power pitcher who consistently threw pitches that were clocked above 100 miles per hour (161 km/h). He maintained this velocity throughout his pitching career, being known as one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball into his mid-40s. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.
Ryan had a lifetime win–loss record of 324–292 (.526) and was an eight-time All-Star. He has 5,714 career strikeouts, an MLB record that is 839 more than runner-up Randy Johnson. Similarly, Ryan's 2,795 bases on balls lead second-place Steve Carlton by 962 – walking over 50% more hitters than any other pitcher in MLB history. Ryan's lifetime batting average against of .204 is also a major league record. He recorded 300 strikeouts in a season six different times, a Major League record. Ryan, Pedro Martínez, Randy Johnson, Trevor Hoffman, and Sandy Koufax are the only five pitchers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame who had more strikeouts than innings pitched. Ryan is one of three players in history to have his number retired by at least three teams, along with Jackie Robinson (whose number was retired by Major League Baseball) and Frank Robinson.
Ryan is the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher. He is tied with Bob Feller for the most one-hitters, with 12. Ryan also pitched 18 two-hitters. Despite this, he never pitched a perfect game, nor did he ever win a Cy Young Award; both were largely attributed to his high walk rate. Ryan is one of only 31 players in baseball history to have appeared in MLB games in four different decades.
Early life.
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. was born on January 31, 1947, in Refugio, Texas, a small town located just south of Victoria in the southern part of the state. Ryan was the youngest of six children born to Martha Lee ("née" Hancock; 1913–1990) and Lynn Nolan Ryan Sr. (1907–1970). The senior Ryan operated a newspaper delivery service for the "Houston Post" that required him to rise in the early morning hours to prepare 1,500 newspapers for delivery over a 55-mile route. The children were expected to help with the daily tasks. Ryan's family lived in nearby Woodsboro, Texas, in Refugio County, until they moved to Alvin, Texas, in Brazoria County, when Nolan was six weeks old. As a young boy, Nolan enjoyed throwing objects at any target. His father thought baseball a better usage for his arm; therefore, he encouraged Nolan to play the game.
Ryan joined Alvin Little League Baseball when he was nine, made the all-star team when he was 11 and 12, and pitched the first no-hitter of his life a few years later. Ryan also played various positions besides pitcher. In junior high school, Ryan could throw a softball over 100 yards. After ninth grade, Ryan quit playing football after a tackle and fumble caused by future NFL running back Norm Bulaich made him decide to focus on baseball.
Ryan played baseball for Coach Jim Watson at Alvin High School for all of his high school career. Ryan held the school's single game strikeout record for 44 years, striking out 21 hitters in a seven-inning game. The record was tied by Alvin High School pitchers Aaron Stewart and Josh Land in the same week in 2009. In 1963, at an Alvin High School game at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas, Red Murff, a scout for the New York Mets, first noticed sophomore pitcher Ryan. Coach Watson recounted to Murff that some opponents refused to bat against Ryan and how his hard pitches would sometimes break bones in his catchers' hands. In his subsequent report to the Mets, Murff stated that Ryan had "the best arm I've seen in my life." As a senior in 1965, Ryan had a 19–3 record and led the Alvin Yellow Jackets to the Texas high school state finals. Ryan pitched in 27 games, with 20 starts. He had 12 complete games, with 211 strikeouts and 61 walks.
Professional career.
Draft and minor leagues.
After graduating from Alvin, the New York Mets selected Ryan in the 12th round, with the 295th overall pick, of the 1965 Major League Baseball draft. Ryan signed with the Mets and immediately pitched for the Marion Mets in the Appalachian League and for the Mets team in the Florida Instructional League. Overall, he was 6–9 in 1965 with a 4.33 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 120 innings. In 1966, Ryan pitched for the Class A Greenville Mets of the Western Carolinas League, where he went 17–2 with a 2.51 ERA and 272 strikeouts in 183 innings. He was then promoted to the Class AA Williamsport Mets of the Eastern League, where he was 0–2 with a 0.95 ERA, striking out 35 batters in 19 innings. Overall, Ryan had 307 strikeouts in 202 minor league innings in 1966, earning a late-season call-up to the New York Mets. In 1967, Ryan pitched three games in relief for the Class AAA Jacksonville Suns, started one game for the Class A Winter Haven Mets and pitched eight games for the Mets team in the Florida Instructional League. In 34 total innings, Ryan had 54 strikeouts in 1967.
New York Mets (1966, 1968–1971).
When Ryan was called up by the New York Mets in 1966, he was the second-youngest player in the league. Playing in only two games, his first strikeout was Pat Jarvis, and he gave up his first major league home run to Joe Torre.
Ryan missed much of the 1967 season due to illness, an arm injury, and service with the Army Reserve; he pitched only seven innings for the Mets' minor league affiliate in Jacksonville. In the 1968 season, Ryan returned to the major leagues, where he stayed until his retirement in 1993. Ryan was unable to crack into the Mets' pitching rotation, led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Ryan was used as a reliever and spot starter by the 1969 Mets. Ryan had frequent blisters on his throwing hand and tried several remedies including dipping his fingers in pickle brine.
Ryan pitched well for the Mets in the 1969 postseason. Against the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS, Ryan completed a Mets sweep by throwing seven innings of relief in Game 3, getting his first playoff win (it took him 12 years to get another). Then in the 1969 World Series, Ryan saved Game 3, pitching <templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />2+1⁄3 shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles. The Game 3 victory gave the Mets a 2–1 lead in the Series, which they went on to win in five games. It was Ryan's only World Series appearance in his career.
On April 18, 1970, Ryan tied a Mets record by striking out 15 batters in one game. Four days later, Ryan's teammate Seaver topped it with a then-MLB record 19 against the San Diego Padres (Ryan tied this record four years later). Ryan has credited his time with Seaver and the Mets with turning him from just a flamethrower into a pitcher.
Ryan's performance declined sharply in the second half of his final season with the Mets. His earned run average for the first half of the 1971 season was 2.24; in the second half, it was 7.74. As of 2021[ [update]], this was the steepest second half increase in ERA for a starting pitcher in MLB history.
In five seasons with the Mets, 105 games and 74 starts, Ryan had a 29–38 record, with a 3.58 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, with 344 walks and 493 strikeouts in 511 innings.
California Angels (1972–1979).
On December 10, 1971, the 24-year-old Ryan was traded to the California Angels along with pitcher Don Rose, catcher Francisco Estrada, and outfielder Leroy Stanton for shortstop Jim Fregosi (who later managed Ryan in Anaheim). The deal has been cited as one of the worst in Mets history, but was not viewed as unreasonable at the time given Ryan's relatively unremarkable numbers as a Met and Fregosi's good career to that point.
In his first season with the Angels, Ryan was given a chance to pitch regularly as a starter for the first time in his career, mainly because by then he had fulfilled his military obligation and no longer had to commute to Houston every other week. He had a league-leading 329 strikeouts—nearly a third more than the AL runner-up, and the fourth-highest total of the 20th century to that point. Within five seasons, the season was only Ryan's fourth-highest strikeout total. He also set a still-standing Major League record by allowing only 5.26 hits per nine innings, breaking Luis Tiant's 5.30 in 1968, as well as posting a 2.28 earned run average that year, to date the second-lowest in franchise history, trailing only Dean Chance's 1.65 in 1964. Though Ryan's actual winning percentage hovered only slightly over .500, his strikeouts and no-hitters brought him media attention. Meanwhile, Fregosi failed to produce as a Met, making no significant contribution to the Mets' 1973 pennant-winning campaign; he was sold to the Texas Rangers mid-season.
Although the Angels were a sub-.500 team and remained one for much of Ryan's time with them, he managed to post some winning records, notably 19–16 in 1972, 21–16 in 1973, and 22–16 in 1974 (the 22 wins tied what remains the Angels franchise record, set by Clyde Wright in 1970). He finished second in the Cy Young Award balloting (losing to Jim Palmer 88–62) in 1973. It was the closest he ever came to winning the award. Ryan also led the league in losses in 1976 with a 17–18 record (one short of the franchise record for losses). In the early 1970s, many teams used a four-man rotation and expected the starter to complete the game; thus most of the games Ryan started ended in a decision.
On July 9, 1972, Ryan struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 3–0 win over the Boston Red Sox; he became the seventh American League pitcher to accomplish the immaculate inning, and the first pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat in both leagues (on April 19, 1968, he had struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 2–1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming the eighth National League pitcher and the 14th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat).
Ryan threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals on May 15, 1973. He threw a second no-hitter on July 15 against the Detroit Tigers, he struck out 17 batters – the most in a recorded no-hitter. (This record was later tied by Max Scherzer on October 3, 2015.) Ryan was so dominant in this game, it led to one of baseball's best-remembered pranks. Tigers first baseman and cleanup hitter Norm Cash came to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, having already struck out twice, and was carrying a clubhouse table leg instead of a bat. Plate umpire Ron Luciano ordered Cash to go back and get a regulation bat, to which Cash replied, "Why? I won't hit him anyway!" With a regulation bat in hand, Cash did finally make contact, but popped out to end the game. Cash's teammate Mickey Stanley commented on facing Ryan that day by saying, "Those were the best pitches I ever heard."
In 1973, Ryan set his first major record when he struck out 383 batters in one season, beating Sandy Koufax's old mark by one. Remarking on this feat, Koufax joked, "Yeah, and he also surpassed my total for bases on balls in a single season by 91. I suspect half of those guys he struck out swung rather than get hit." Ryan finished second in balloting for the Cy Young Award, behind Jim Palmer.
Pitching 13 innings against the Boston Red Sox on June 14, 1974, Ryan threw 235 pitches, striking out 19, walking 10 and getting a no-decision.
During a September 7, 1974 game against the Chicago White Sox at Anaheim Stadium, Ryan became the first Major League pitcher to have his pitch speed measured during a game. A primitive radar gun clocked a ninth-inning fastball at when it was in front of home plate. This exceeded an earlier pitch by Bob Feller which was measured at at home plate and previously thought to be the fastest pitch ever recorded.
Ryan added a third no-hitter in 1974 and a fourth in 1975, tying another of Koufax's records. In 1974 he twice struck out 19 batters, tying Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton for the single-game record for a nine-inning game. Roger Clemens became the first pitcher with a 20-strikeout game in 1986.
The Angels finally made the playoffs in Ryan's eighth and final year there in 1979. He started Game 1 of the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles and threw seven innings against the Orioles' Jim Palmer, but neither man was involved in the decision as Baltimore won in the 10th inning. Ryan was scheduled to pitch Game 5, but the Angels were eliminated in four. The season complete, Ryan became a free agent.
Ryan led the American League in strikeouts seven times during his eight seasons with the Angels, but he also led the league in walks in six of those years, and finished second the other two seasons: 1975 and 1979. Aside from Bob Feller in 1938, Ryan is the only man since 1900 to walk 200 batters in a season, which he did twice: in 1974 and 1977. Emblematic of this, his 1974 no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins included eight walks.
Though Ryan's strikeouts and no-hitters got him considerable media attention, he did not persuade Angels general manager Buzzie Bavasi, who dismissed him as a flashy .500 pitcher (Ryan was 26–27 in the last two years he was with the Angels).
In his eight seasons with the Angels, Ryan was 138–121, a 3.07 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, with 1,302 walks and 2,416 strikeouts in 2181 innings over 288 starts and 156 complete games.
Houston Astros (1980–1988).
On November 19, 1979, Ryan signed a four-year contract worth $4.5 million (equivalent to $ million in 2024) with the Houston Astros, becoming MLB's first million-dollar player. The salary quadrupled what he had been making with the California Angels. In a nationally televised game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 12, 1980, Ryan hit a three-run home run off Don Sutton. It was the first of two homers in Ryan's career and produced half of the six RBIs he got that year. On July 4 at Riverfront Stadium, Ryan recorded his 3,000th career strikeout, the victim being César Gerónimo of the Cincinnati Reds. The Astros made the 1980 MLB postseason. In the 1980 NLCS versus the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan pitched well in Game 2, leaving the game tied 2–2 in the seventh (having contributed to both Astros runs with a run scored following a walk, and a sacrifice bunt leading to a run) but again got a no-decision in a game that went extra innings. In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan and the Astros held a 5–2 lead entering the 8th inning. But Ryan allowed three consecutive singles before walking in the third run. The Houston bullpen allowed the Phillies to take a 7–5 lead, and only a game-tying Astro rally permitted Ryan to escape the loss.
On September 26, 1981, Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter, breaking Koufax's mark while becoming the third pitcher to throw a no-hitter in each league. That season, his 1.69 ERA was the best in the National League.
Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 NLDS, Ryan threw a complete game two-hitter in the opener, outlasting the Dodgers' rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela. It was Ryan's second and last career postseason win. In the fifth and final game of the series, Ryan left trailing 3–0 and took the loss.
By the end of the 1982 season, both Ryan and Steve Carlton were approaching Walter Johnson's all-time strikeout record, sometimes passing one another's career totals in successive starts. On April 27, 1983, Ryan won the race with his 3,509th whiff, against Brad Mills of the Montreal Expos. (Carlton reached the same mark two weeks after Ryan, and Gaylord Perry did so later that season.) On July 11, 1985, Ryan struck out Danny Heep for his 4,000th career strikeout.
In 1986, Ryan's Astros faced the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series. Ryan had a shaky start in Game 2, taking the loss. He returned in Game 5, throwing 9 innings of 2-hit, 1-run, 12-strikeout ball, but one of those hits was a Darryl Strawberry home run that tied the game at 1, as Dwight Gooden matched Ryan pitch for pitch. Ryan got a no-decision as his Astros lost in 12 innings.
In 1987, Ryan led the major leagues in both ERA (2.76) and strikeouts (270) at the age of 40, but finished 8–16 as the result of extremely poor run support; the Astros scored a total of 27 runs in his 16 losses–an average of 1.69 runs per game. Despite his .333 winning percentage, Ryan tied for 5th place in the 1987 Cy Young voting. Ryan hit his second and final career home run in a 12–3 win on May 1, 1987, against the Atlanta Braves.
In nine seasons as a pitcher with the Astros (his longest tenure with any team), Ryan compiled a 106–94 record in 282 starts, a 3.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, with 796 walks and 1,866 strikeouts in 1,854 innings.
Texas Rangers (1989–1993).
Ryan left Houston after a contract dispute following the 1988 season and signed with the Texas Rangers at age 42. He became the first player to play for all four MLB original expansion teams: the Mets, Angels, Houston Colt .45s/ Astros and Washington Senators/Texas Rangers. (Ryan was joined in this category by Darren Oliver, who made his major league debut as Ryan's teammate in September 1993. Oliver's father Bob had also been a teammate of Ryan's, with the Angels from 1972 to 1974.) In 1989, he went 16–10 and led the league with 301 strikeouts. Against the Oakland Athletics on August 22, Ryan struck out Rickey Henderson, becoming the only pitcher to record 5,000 career strikeouts. Following the game, Henderson was quoted as saying, "If he ain't struck you out, then you ain't nobody." His 4,999th and 5,001st strikeouts were against the same man, Athletics catcher Ron Hassey. Two years later, at 44, Ryan finished fifth in the league in ERA (2.91) and third in strikeouts (203).
In 1990, Ryan threw his sixth no-hitter on June 11 against the Athletics, and earned his 300th win on July 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. On May 1, 1991, at age 44, Ryan extended his record by throwing the seventh no-hitter of his career, striking out Roberto Alomar of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final out. On August 6, 1992, Ryan had the only ejection of his career after engaging in a shouting match with Oakland Athletics outfielder Willie Wilson with two outs in the eighth inning.
Before the 1993 season began, Ryan announced that he would retire as a player at the end of that season. On August 4, Ryan hit Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox with a pitch, and Ventura charged the mound in order to fight Ryan, who was 20 years his senior. Ryan secured the 26-year-old Ventura in a headlock with his left arm, while pummeling Ventura's head with his right fist six times before catcher Iván Rodríguez was able to pull Ventura away from Ryan. Ryan stated afterwards that it was the same maneuver he used on steers he had to brand on his Texas ranch. Videos of the incident were played that evening throughout the country. While Ventura was ejected, Ryan–who had barely moved from his spot on the mound in the fracas–was allowed to remain in the game. White Sox manager Gene Lamont vehemently argued this, leading to his own ejection. Ryan pitched a hitless game the rest of the way. He had been determined to be more aggressive after coming out on the wrong side of an altercation with Dave Winfield in 1980.
Ryan tore a ligament in his pitching arm in Seattle on September 22, 1993. The injury ended his career two starts earlier than planned, at age 46. Ryan briefly attempted to pitch past the injury, and he threw one additional pitch after tearing his ligament. Ryan's last start was his career-worst; he allowed a single, four walks, and a grand slam in the top of the first without recording an out. It was his record-setting 10th grand slam given up of his career. (Ryan left trailing 5–0, and the fourth walk was completed by a reliever after Ryan's injury, but credited to Ryan.) Greg Myers of the California Angels was the last strikeout victim of Nolan Ryan's career, on September 17, 1993.
Ryan finished his career having played in the major leagues a record of 27 seasons. He was the final active player from the 1960s to retire from Major League Baseball, outlasting Carlton Fisk (the final active position player) by three months.
In five seasons with the Rangers, Ryan had a 51–39 record, a 3.43 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, with 353 walks and 939 strikeouts in 840 innings over 129 starts.
Seven no-hitters.
Ryan threw a record seven no-hitters during his major league career, three more than any other pitcher. The no-hitters spanned three decades of pitching. In those seven games, Ryan accumulated a total of 94 strikeouts and 26 walks; a ratio of 3.6 strikeouts per walk (his career K:BB was 2.0). Ryan struck out 17 in his no-hitter on July 15, 1973, versus Detroit and walked eight in his subsequent no-hitter against Minnesota, both respective highs for his no-hitters.
MLB records.
Ryan holds 51 total MLB records, including:
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Later activity.
Nolan Ryan's post-retirement business interests include being the principal owner of Ryan Sanders Sports and Entertainment, which is the ownership group for the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the 2005 World Series between the Astros and the White Sox, the first World Series game played in Texas. That game went 14 innings, equaling the longest in innings in World Series history (at 5 hours and 41 minutes, it was the longest in time). ESPN suggested the Astros might have needed to pull the 58-year-old Ryan out of retirement if the game had gone much longer.
Ryan has co-written six books: autobiographies "Miracle Man" (with Jerry Jenkins, 1992), "Throwing Heat" (with Harvey Frommer, 1988) and "The Road to Cooperstown" (with Mickey Herskowitz and T.R. Sullivan, 1999); "Kings of the Hill" (with Mickey Herskowitz, 1992), about contemporary pitchers; and instructional books "Pitching and Hitting" (with Joe Torre and Joel Cohen, 1977), and "Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible" (with Tom House, 1991).
In addition to his baseball activities, Ryan was majority owner and chairman of Express Bank of Alvin but sold his interest in 2005. He also owned a restaurant in Three Rivers, Texas. He served on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission from 1995 to 2001. He appeared as a TV spokesman for Advil for several years. He also has appeared in various television commercials shown in the Texas market.
After retiring from baseball, Ryan teamed up with the federal government to promote physical fitness. His likeness was used in the "Nolan Ryan Fitness Guide", published by The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1994. Ryan suffered a heart attack on April 25, 2000, and had to receive a double coronary bypass.
Texas Rangers president and CEO (2008–2013).
In February 2008, the Rangers hired Ryan as team president. After the 2009 season, Ryan and Chuck Greenberg submitted a bid to purchase the Rangers from owner Tom Hicks. At midnight on August 5, 2010, the Ryan/Greenberg group, Rangers Baseball Express, was announced the winners of the final auction to purchase the Rangers, after final approval from Major League Baseball. The final cash bid to purchase the franchise was $385 million. The opposing high bidder was Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Greenberg became managing general partner and CEO, while Ryan remained as team president.
Greenberg left the group in March 2011, reportedly due to a philosophical clash with Ryan. Ryan was immediately named as CEO while keeping the title of president. Although Texas oil magnates Ray Davis and Bob Simpson served as co-chairmen and held larger stakes, Ryan became the undisputed head of the franchise, with Davis and Simpson serving mostly as senior consultants.
Ryan was named the Dallas–Fort Worth's 2012 CEO of the Year by Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business.
During the baseball owners' meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, on March 1, 2013, the Rangers announced that general manager Jon Daniels would add president of baseball operations to his title. Rick George was promoted to president of business operations. Ryan's title was changed simply to CEO, but he remained operating head of the franchise; both Daniels and George reported to him. On October 17, 2013, Ryan announced that he was stepping down as Rangers CEO effective October 31, 2013.
Houston Astros special assistant (2014–2019).
On February 11, 2014, Ryan accepted a position as an executive adviser for the Houston Astros under owner Jim Crane. Ryan's son, Reid Ryan, was hired the previous year as president of business operations for the Astros. The Astros won the 2017 World Series and won the 2019 American League pennant. Reid Ryan was demoted by the Astros after the 2019 World Series, and shortly thereafter Nolan Ryan sent a text message to a reporter indicating that he would not return to the Astros front office for the 2020 season.
Legacy.
Ryan played in more seasons (27) than any other major league player since 1900. (For all-time he is tied with Cap Anson for #1). Ryan ranks first for all-time in strikeouts (5,714), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.56), and no-hitters (7). He is also fifth in innings pitched (5,386), second in games started (773), seventh in shutouts (61), is tied for 14th in wins (324), and is third in losses (292).
Opposing hitters hit only .204 against Ryan during his career, although they had a .309 on-base percentage against him. He also limited hitters to a .298 slugging percentage. Ryan had 15 or more strikeouts in a game 26 times, second only to Randy Johnson, who had 28. Ryan's lengthy career spanned generations as he struck out seven pairs of fathers and sons (for example, Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds), another major league record. Ryan also played during the administrations of seven U.S. Presidents—Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton—equaling a 20th-century record that had been set by Jim Kaat.
Ryan also ranks high on the list for four "negative" records; he ranks first all-time in walks allowed (2,795), first in wild pitches (277), third in losses (292 – most in the post-1920 live-ball era), and ninth in batters hit (158). Ryan was the first pitcher in MLB history to give up ten grand slam home runs, including one to Dann Howitt, the next-to-last batter Ryan faced in his career; that record has since been surpassed.
Bill James focused on this dichotomy between Ryan's positive and negative statistics. While ranking him as the 24th best pitcher of all time, he noted, "Ryan has been retired almost ten years [as of 2001], in another ten perhaps we will begin to get a little bit of perspective on him. Ryan's log of spectacular accomplishments is as thick as Bill Clinton's little black book; his list of flaws and failures is lengthy but dry, and will never make for good reading."
Other writers have delved more into the specifics of James' general concerns. ESPN writer Rob Neyer stated in a 2003 column that while Ryan was among the 20 best pitchers since World War II, he "often had trouble throwing strikes, [and] he wasn't any good at fielding his position". In another column, Neyer, while stating that Ryan belonged in the Hall of Fame, pointed to Ryan's record-breaking walks total and noted that his .309 on-base percentage against "wasn't even close to being in the top 100".
Ryan and Frank Robinson are the only two major league players to have their number retired by three teams on which they played. The California Angels retired the number 30 on June 16, 1992; the Texas Rangers retired his number 34 on September 15, 1996; and the Houston Astros retired number 34 on September 29, 1996. His number was the first retired by the Rangers.
Ryan was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 in his first year of eligibility with 98.79% of the vote (491 out of 497 possible), six votes short of a unanimous election and the sixth-highest percentage in history, behind Mariano Rivera (100%, 425 out of 425 possible), Derek Jeter (99.75%, 396 out of 397 possible), Ichiro Suzuki (99.75%, 393 out of 394 possible), Ken Griffey Jr. (99.32%, 437 out of 440 possible), and Tom Seaver (98.84%, 425 out of 430 possible). He chose to wear a Rangers cap for his HOF plaque to reflect his Texas heritage, as well as the fact that his 300th win, 5000th strikeout, and last two no-hitters came as a Ranger. He was the first Hall of Famer inducted as a Ranger. However, the Hall of Fame recognizes the Los Angeles Angels as his primary team.
In 1999, he ranked 41st on "The Sporting News" list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2003, and named the Rangers', and Astros' Hometown Hero in 2006—the only player to be so named by two franchises. In 2020, "The Athletic" ranked Ryan at number 50 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.
In 2011, he was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1992, the United States Mint produced a $1 commemorative coin honoring Olympic baseball depicting a pitcher in a USA Baseball uniform in a pose nearly identical to Ryan's photo on his 1991 Fleer baseball card. The numismatic community subsequently referred to the coin as the "Nolan Ryan dollar."
In 1995 the Texas State Legislature declared State Highway 288, which passes near Alvin, as the Nolan Ryan Expressway.
The Alvin Independent School District opened Nolan Ryan Junior High School, located at 11500 Shadow Creek Parkway (FM 2234) in Pearland, Texas, just a few hundred yards away from the Nolan Ryan Expressway.
The Nolan Ryan Foundation is a Texas nonprofit organization that supports youth, education, and community development and is headquartered in Round Rock, Texas.
The Texas Trail of Fame inducted Ryan in 2009. The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame inducted Ryan in 2010.
A documentary, "Facing Nolan", was released in 2022.
Personal life.
Ryan married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Holdorff, on June 26, 1967. Nolan and Ruth attended Alvin High School together. Ruth was a high school state tennis champion. They have three children: Reid, Reese, and Wendy. Reid and Reese were both pitchers for the TCU Horned Frogs. Reid also pitched briefly in the minor leagues. On May 17, 2013, Reid was announced as president of the Houston Astros.
Nolan frequently pitched in the off-seasons, with Ruth often donning catching gear and serving as his catcher. Ruth Ryan also coached their sons' little league teams for a few summers.
Nolan Ryan resides in the Cimarron Hills community in Georgetown, Texas.
Political activity.
Ryan wrote in his 1992 autobiography "Miracle Man" that he voted for Jimmy Carter over Gerald Ford in 1976, but since then has generally identified as a Republican, though he does not automatically vote this way and looks at individual candidates, mentioning disgust at one particular election in which the two major parties were forcing a choice between "the racist or the criminal." He also crossed party lines in 2002 to headline a group of Republicans and Independents supporting a Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas. He has maintained a decades-long friendship with the Bush family, partially due to George W. Bush being a part-owner of the Rangers while Ryan played there. However, in his 1992 book Ryan expressed some criticisms of the elder Bush's (George H.W. Bush) management of domestic issues and said he wasn't "locked in" to voting for Bush that fall. In 1996 Ryan campaigned on behalf of Ron Paul in the election for Texas's 14th congressional district; his hometown of Alvin was located in the district.
On April 7, 2011, Todd Staples announced that Nolan Ryan would be his statewide chairman for his exploratory committee for lieutenant governor. Ryan is quoted as saying, "Todd Staples is the top prospect for the Texas Republican Party in 2014." Staples, however, lost that race to current Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick of Houston.
References.
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List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders
In baseball, a strikeout occurs when a pitcher throws three strikes to a batter during his time at bat. Twenty different pitchers have struck out at least 18 batters in a single nine-inning Major League Baseball (MLB) game, the most recent being Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals on May 11, 2016. Four players have accomplished the feat more than once in their career; no player has ever struck out more than 20 batters in a nine-inning game. Charlie Sweeney was the first player to strike out 18 batters in a single game, doing so for the Providence Grays against the Boston Beaneaters on June 7, 1884. In spite of this, Bob Feller is viewed as the first pitcher to accomplish the feat, since his then-record 18 strikeouts was the first to occur during the 20th century and the live-ball era.
Out of the twenty pitchers who have accomplished the feat, fifteen were right-handed and five pitched left-handed. Five of these players have played for only one major league team. Six pitchers—Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Max Scherzer—are also members of the 3,000 strikeout club. Sweeney has the fewest career strikeouts in the group with 505, while Nolan Ryan, with 5,714, struck out more batters than any other pitcher in major league history. Bill Gullickson and Kerry Wood are the only rookies to have achieved the feat. Tom Seaver concluded his milestone game by striking out the final ten batters he faced, setting a new major league record for most consecutive strikeouts.
Of the eleven players eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame who have struck out 18 batters in a game, six have been elected; all six were elected on the first ballot. Players are eligible for the Hall of Fame if they have played in at least 10 major league seasons, and have either been retired for five seasons or deceased for at least six months.
Players.
18 strikeouts in extra-inning games.
Eight different pitchers have struck out at least 18 batters in an extra-inning Major League Baseball (MLB) game to date. Only Nolan Ryan accomplished the feat more than once in his career and no player has ever struck out more than 21 batters in a game.
The following list is kept separate from the above list of pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning game. This is due to the differing number of innings pitched during an extra-inning game, the lack of a definitive endpoint to the game that would otherwise allow for a fair comparison to be made, and the advantage of having more opportunities to strike out players during an extra-inning game as opposed to one lasting nine innings.
Notes.
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References.
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NCAA Division I softball career strikeouts list
There are currently 99 pitchers in the 1,000 Strikeout Club:
Progression.
Shawn Andaya broke the original strikeout record by Amy Unterbrink during her 1987 campaign. Michele Granger struck out her 1,235th batter on February 22, 1993, shutting out the Northwestern Wildcats 8–0. Courtney Blades struck out her 1,641st batter on May 6, 2000, defeating the USF Bulls in relief.
Cat Osterman surpassed Courtney Blades' career strikeout total on 25 February 2006, striking out Brittany Bolinger of the UNLV Lady Rebels. Monica Abbott went on to surpass Osterman's total on 6 May 2007, striking out Charlotte Morgan of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Angela Tincher became just the third pitcher to reach the 2,000 strikeout plateau on April 30, 2008, striking out Sissy Jimenez of the East Carolina Pirates.
Strikeout Ratio.
In addition, there are currently 26 pitchers in the 1,000 Strikeouts Club that averaged double-digit strikeouts for their career from a list of 33 NCAA career records:
No. 1 Cat Osterman (7IP = 14.3Ks); No. 2 Angela Tincher (7IP = 13.4Ks); No. 3 Sara Plourde (7IP = 12.0Ks); No. 4 Monica Abbott (7IP = 11.7Ks); No. 6 Sarah Pauly (7IP = 11.5Ks); No. 7 Alicia Hollowell (7IP = 11.0Ks); No. 8 Danielle Lawrie (7IP = 10.9Ks); No. 9 Blaire Luna (7IP = 10.9Ks); No. 10 Miranda Kramer (7IP = 10.9Ks); No. 11 Nicole Newman (7IP = 10.8Ks); No. 12 Megan Betsa (7IP = 10.7Ks); No. 13 Katie Burkhart (7IP = 10.7Ks); No. 15 Sara Groenewegen (7IP = 10.6Ks); No. 16 Anna Thompson (7IP = 10.5Ks); No. 17 Kelly Barnhill (7IP = 10.5Ks); No. 18 Keilani Ricketts (7IP = 10.4Ks); No. 20 Kylie Reynolds (7IP = 10.2Ks); No. 21 Taryne Mowatt (7IP = 10.1Ks); No. 22 Jennie Ritter (7IP = 10.1Ks); No. 23 Brooke Mitchell (7IP = 10.0Ks); No. 25 Morgan Childers (7IP = 10.0Ks); No. 27 Jordan Taylor (7IP = 10.0Ks); No. 29 Sarah Hamilton (7IP = 10.0Ks); No. 31 Jen Mineau (7IP = 10.0Ks); No. 32 Anjelica Selden (7IP = 10.0Ks); No. 33 Aimee Creger (7IP = 10.0Ks).
Records & Milestones.
Eileen Canney tied the NCAA and Junior Class records for single game strikeouts with 28 in 2006. Angela Tincher struck out the Sophomore Class record of 26 and NCAA top-10 record with 19 in 7-innings on five different occasions. Michele Granger struck out the Senior Class record 26 strikeouts and set the NCAA record for a 7-inning game with 21 in 1993. Nicole Myers struck out 25 in 2001; Danielle Lawrie and Cat Osterman each fanned 24 and 20 (7-innings), with Osterman tallying 24 twice. Darcy Wood, Katie Burkhart (who did it twice), Lauren Bay Regula and Anjelica Selden each struck out 23. Jamie Southern, Monica Abbott, Sara Plourde, Jen Mineau, Brooke Mitchell, Savannah Jo Dorsey and Kristina Thorson each nabbed 22 strikeout games. Alexis Osorio recorded 21 strikeouts to tie the NCAA single regulation game record. Alicia Hollowell, Abbott and Plourde also each struck out 20 in 7-innings, Hollowell and Plourde tying for the Sophomore Class record and Abbott setting the Freshman Class record for a regulation game. Sarah Pauly, Keilani Ricketts and Miranda Kramer struck out 19 in 7-innings. Finally, Lisa Ishikawa, Kelsie Armstrong, Kelly Barnhill, Courtney Blades, Burkhart, Jenna Caira, Morgan Childers, Courtnay Foster, Danielle Henderson (did it three times), Trinity Johnson, Taryne Mowatt, Nicole Newman, Mellissa Santos, Anna Thompson, Amy Unterbrink and Stephanie VanBrakle all whiffed 18 in 7-innings. Note: these totals represent the top-10 single game totals in a game of any length for the club up to the 7-inning game records, as well as only each pitchers' personal career highlights within that top-10 list.
Monica Abbott set the NCAA season and Senior Class records with 724 strikeouts in 2007; she also set the Sophomore and Freshman Class records with 603 and 582 respectively. Sara Plourde struck out the least in a non-injury season for the list with just 67 in 2009. Angela Tincher set the Junior Class record with 617 in 2007. Cat Osterman set the single season strikeout ratio at 15.4 in 2006, she struck out 630 that season. She also owns the Junior (15.2) and Sophomore (14.1) ratio marks in addition. Tincher (679 in 2008), Courtney Blades (663 in 2000), Osterman in 2006, (593 & 554 in 2005 & 2002) and Plourde (556 in 2010) all rank top-10 for season strikeouts in the NCAA. Abbott (14.1 in 2007), Danielle Henderson (13.9 with 465 strikeouts in 1999), Tincher (13.8, 13.8 & 13.7 in 2008, 2007 and 2006 with 504) all rank top-10 for strikeout ratio in an NCAA season; Osterman owns the career ratio of 14.3, while Amanda Macenko has the lowest ratio for the list at 6.6 for her career. Along with Blades in 2000, Osterman in 2002–2006, Abbott in 2004 & 2007, Tincher in 2008 and Plourde in 2010, Lisa Ishikawa (469 in 1984), Amy Unterbrink (370 in 1986), Shawn Andaya (326 in 1987), Michele Granger (327, 463, 329 & 484 in 1990–1993), Trinity Johnson (367 & 399 in 1995 & 1997), Henderson (430 in 1998), Blades (497 in 1999), Amanda Renfroe (421 in 2001), Danielle Lawrie (521 in 2009), Plourde (498 & 541 in 2011–2012), Blaire Luna (422 in 2013), Aimee Creger (354 in 2014), Miranda Kramer (439 in 2015), Savannah Jo Dorsey and Sara Groenewegen (both 336 in 2016), Megan Betsa (412 in 2017), Nicole Newman (423 in 2019) all led the NCAA for strikeouts those years. Granger (strikeout ratios 8.2 & 10.4 in 1990–1991), Johnson (strikeout ratio 11.5 in 1997), Henderson (strikeout ratio 11.8 in 1998 and ratio in 1999), Blades (strikeout ratio 11.6 in 2000), Nicole Myers (strikeout ratio 10.9 in 2001 with 403 strikeouts), Osterman (strikeout ratio 12.7 in 2002 and ratios in 2003–2006), Alicia Hollowell (strikeout ratio 12.1 in 2004 with 508 strikeouts), Abbott (ratio in 2007), Tincher (ratio in 2008), Plourde (strikeout ratios 12.5 & 12.2 in 2010 & 2012), Luna (strikeout ratio 11.7 in 2013), Groenewegen (strikeout ratio 11.5 in 2014), Kramer (strikeout ratio 12.6 in 2015), Kelly Barnhill (strikeout ratio 13.0 in 2017) and Newman (strikeout ratio 13.3 in 2019) all led in strikeout ratio for those years in the NCAA.
Finally, along with Lawrie in 2009 with 49 strikeouts at the WCWS and Andaya in 1987 also with 49 at the WCWS, Jennie Finch (279 & 26 strikeouts at WCWS in 2001), Jocelyn Forest (379 & 33 strikeouts at WCWS in 2002), Keira Goerl (342 & 44 strikeouts at WCWS in 2003; 276 & 22 strikeouts at WCWS in 2004), Jennie Ritter (417 & 60 strikeouts at WCWS in 2005), Hollowell (420 & 64 strikeouts at WCWS in 2006), Taryne Mowatt (250 strikeouts in 2006 and 522 & 76 at WCWS in 2007), Katie Burkhart (513 & 54 strikeouts at WCWS in 2008), Dallas Escobedo (326 & 38 strikeouts at WCWS in 2011) and Keilani Ricketts (350 & 39 strikeouts at the WCWS in 2013) all won National Championships those years; Mowatt set the Women's College World Series strikeout record in 2007. For their careers Abbott (SEC), Osterman (Big 12), Tincher (ACC), Lawrie (Pac-12), Plourde (A-10), Galati (CAA), Myers (A-Sun), Pauly (Big South in three seasons), Jamie Southern (WAC), Mitchell (Sun Belt), Toni Paisley (USA), Sarah Dawson (Southland), Kylie Reynolds (MAC), Nicole Newman (MVC), Jordan Taylor (Big Ten), Santos (MAAC), Samantha Iuli (Horizon), Caira (Big East) and Bonnie Bynum (OVC) all own the strikeouts crown for these conferences.
References.
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List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders
In baseball, the strikeout is a statistic used to evaluate pitchers. A pitcher earns a strikeout when he puts out the batter he is facing by throwing a ball through the strike zone, "defined as that area over homeplate "(sic)" the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap", which is not put in play. Strikeouts are awarded in four situations: if the batter is put out on a third strike caught by the catcher (to "strike out swinging" or "strike out looking"); if the pitcher throws a third strike which is not caught with fewer than two outs; if the batter becomes a baserunner on an uncaught third strike; or if the batter bunts the ball into foul territory with two strikes.
Major League Baseball recognizes the player or players in each league<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[a] with the most strikeouts each season. Jim Devlin led the National League in its inaugural season of 1876; he threw 122 strikeouts for the Louisville Grays. The American League's first winner was Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who captured the American League Triple Crown in 1901 by striking out 158 batters, along with leading the league in wins and earned run average. Walter Johnson led the American League in strikeouts twelve times during his Hall of Fame career, most among all players. He is followed by Nolan Ryan, who captured eleven titles between both leagues (nine in the American League and two in the National League). Randy Johnson won nine strikeout titles, five coming with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Three players have won seven strikeout championships: Dazzy Vance, who leads the National League; Bob Feller; and Lefty Grove. Grover Cleveland Alexander and Rube Waddell led their league six times, and five-time winners include Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens, Sam McDowell, Christy Mathewson, Amos Rusie, and Tom Seaver.
There are several players with a claim to the single-season strikeout record. Among recognized major leagues, Matt Kilroy accumulated the highest single-season total, with 513 strikeouts for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in 1886. However, his name does not appear on Major League Baseball's single-season leaders list, since the American Association was independent of the constituent leagues that currently make up Major League Baseball: for the same reason, several other players with high totals, including 1886 American Association runner-up Toad Ramsey (499) and 1884 Union Association leader Hugh Daily (483) also do not appear.
In the National League, Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn struck out 441 batters in 1884 for the Providence Grays; however, the Providence franchise folded after the 1885 season and has no successor. Accordingly, Major League Baseball recognizes the runner-up from 1884, Charlie Buffinton of the Boston Red Sox, as the record-holder with 417 strikeouts. In the American League, Ryan holds the record with 383 strikeouts in 1973.
The largest margin of victory for a champion is 156 strikeouts, achieved in 1883 when Tim Keefe of the American Association's New York Metropolitans posted 359 against Bobby Mathews' 203. The National League's largest margin was achieved in 1999, when Randy Johnson struck out 143 more batters than Kevin Brown. Ryan's 1973 margin of 125 strikeouts over Bert Blyleven is the largest American League victory. Although ties for the championship are rare, they have occurred; Claude Passeau and Bucky Walters each struck out 137 National League batters in 1939, and Tex Hughson and Bobo Newsom tied in the American League with 113 strikeouts each in 1942. Their total is the lowest number of strikeouts accumulated to lead a league in Major League Baseball history (although Jacob deGrom only struck out 104 National League batters in 2020, the season was shortened by a pandemic to 60 games, or 37.04% of a regular season; had that season run a full 162 games, that would have been a net of 281 strikeouts).
References.
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Scott Stratton
American baseball player (1869–1939)
Chilton Scott Stratton (October 2, 1869 – March 8, 1939) was an American pitcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1895. He played for the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Colts.
Biography.
Stratton was born in Campbellsburg, Kentucky, in 1869. He started his professional baseball career in 1888. Primarily a pitcher, Stratton sometimes played in the outfield on days he didn't pitch because of his hitting and fielding skills.
Stratton's best season was his third, in 1890. Playing for Louisville as a 20-year old, he had 431 innings pitched, a 34–14 win–loss record, a 2.36 earned run average (ERA), a 164 ERA+, and 207 strikeouts. He led the American Association in ERA and ERA+ and set a major league record by starting 25 consecutive games that his team won. Louisville won the pennant. There were three major leagues in 1890, and the AA was the weakest of the three. In the 1890 World Series, Stratton made three starts and went 1–1.
Stratton's statistics were never as good before or after the 1890 season, though he did win 21 games in 1892. His major league career ended in 1895. In his major league career, Stratton had a 97–114 record, a 3.87 ERA, 570 strikeouts, and a .274 batting average. Afterwards, he played in the minor leagues as an outfielder until 1900.
Stratton was a Sabbatarian, and for most of his career, he refused to play baseball on Sundays. He married Bessie Anderson in 1890, and the couple had a son in 1891 and a daughter in 1893. Stratton's brother-in-law was Bill Anderson.
Stratton died in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1939.
References.
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Power pitcher
Power pitcher is a term in baseball for a pitcher who relies on pitch velocity at the expense of accuracy. Power pitchers usually record a high number of strikeouts, and statistics such as strikeouts per 9 innings pitched are common measures of power. An average pitcher strikes out about 5 batters per nine innings while a power pitcher will often strike out one or more every inning.
The prototypical power pitcher is Hall of Fame member Nolan Ryan, who struck out a Major League Baseball record 5,714 batters in 5,386 innings. Ryan recorded seven no-hitters, appeared in eight Major League Baseball All-Star Games but also holds the record for most walks issued (2,795). Other prominent power pitchers include Hall of Famers Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martínez, Randy Johnson, and Bob Feller. Feller himself famously led his league in strikeouts and walks several times.
The traditional school of thought on power pitching was known as "throw till you blow". However, multimillion-dollar contracts have changed mentalities. The number of pitches thrown is now counted by a team's staff, with particular attention paid to young power arms. The care which some of the older power pitchers took with their arms has allowed for long careers and further opportunity after they have stopped playing.
References.
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Mitch Stetter
American baseball player & coach (born 1981)
Mitchel Blake Stetter (born January 16, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers.
College.
Stetter attended Indiana State University, where he was a pitcher. In 2001 and 2002, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Stetter led the Sycamores in strikeouts and innings pitched in three seasons and once in wins. He finished his college career fifth in strikeouts and innings pitched and holds the record for the most hit batters in a season for Sycamore baseball with 32.
Playing career.
Milwaukee Brewers.
Stetter was then drafted in the 16th round (459th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2003 Major League Baseball draft.
Stetter made his major league debut on September 1, , against the Pittsburgh Pirates. On September 29, Stetter picked up his first major league win against the San Diego Padres and his former minor league and college teammate Joe Thatcher.
Stetter was up and down between the Brewers and Triple-A Nashville during the 2008 season. He was added to the Brewers postseason roster, where he was a left-handed specialist, striking out of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.
On April 17, 2009, Stetter gave up Gary Sheffield's 500th career home run. On June 17, Stetter set a record by retiring his 10th and 11th consecutive batters by strikeout. This was a memorable day for Stetter as he also recorded his one and only save in major league
baseball. In the bottom of the 11th, Stetter struck out the last to Indians batters to preserve a wild 9-8 Brewers victory. As of June 25, the last 15 batters Stetter has retired have been by strikeout followed by a fly out to Corey Hart ending the streak.
On November 15, 2011, Stetter refused a minor league assignment and elected to become a free agent.
Stetter signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on January 23, 2012. He also received an invitation to spring training. However, he was released on March 26.
Stetter re-signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on a minor league contract on April 11, 2012. In 5 seasons with the Brewers, Stetter went 8–2 with a 4.08 ERA in 132 games with 89 strikeouts in 86 innings.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
On November 8, 2012, Stetter signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with an invitation to spring training; Stetter has spent the 2013 season with the Salt Lake City Bees, the Angels' Triple-A affiliate.
Coaching career.
Stetter retired in February 2014 and accepted position as a coach in the Kansas City Royals organization.
Stetter was selected to be pitching coach for the Surprise Saguaros during the 2017 Arizona Fall League season.
Stetter was named as the Pitching Coach for the Lexington Legends for the 2019 season.
He was named the bullpen coach for the Kansas City Royals for the 2023 season.
References.
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Justin Verlander
American baseball pitcher (born 1983)
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and New York Mets. A three-time Cy Young Award winner as well as an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award recipient, Verlander is considered to be one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.
Born in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, Verlander attended Old Dominion University (ODU) and played college baseball for the Monarchs. He broke the Monarchs' and Colonial Athletic Association's career records for strikeouts. At the 2003 Pan American Games, Verlander helped lead the United States national team to a silver medal. The Tigers selected Verlander with the second overall pick of the 2004 MLB draft. He made his major league debut with the Tigers in 2005 playing there for 12 years as the ace in their starting rotation, as a key figure in four consecutive AL Central division championships (2011–2014) and two AL pennants (in 2006 and 2012). He is among the career pitching leaders for the Tigers, including ranking second in strikeouts (2,373), seventh in wins (183), and eighth in innings pitched (2,511). The Tigers traded Verlander to the Astros before the 2017 trade deadline, and he went undefeated in his first five starts heading into the postseason. He was named AL Championship Series MVP, and was co-winner of the Babe Ruth Award as the Astros won the 2017 World Series. In 2018, Verlander became the 114th pitcher in major league history to earn 200 career wins, also becoming the 20th-fastest to reach the milestone (427 starts). In 2019, Verlander became the sixth pitcher in MLB history to throw three career no-hitters, and the 18th to strike out 3,000 batters.
Verlander is a nine-time MLB All-Star and has led the AL in strikeouts five times, in earned run average twice, and in wins three times. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2006, and in 2007 pitched the first no-hitter at Comerica Park versus the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2009, he led the AL in wins and strikeouts, both for the first time. Verlander produced his most successful season in 2011, including his second career no-hitter versus the Toronto Blue Jays. By season's end, Verlander won the Pitching Triple Crown, the AL Cy Young Award unanimously, the AL MVP Award, and the "Sporting News" Player of the Year Award. In 2019, Verlander had his first career 300-strikeout season and won his second Cy Young award while leading the Astros to their second pennant in three seasons. He suffered an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for 2020 and 2021. He returned in 2022 and proceeded to win 18 games with a sub-2.00 ERA on his way to leading the Astros to their second World championship. He received his third Cy Young Award that offseason, making him the first Astro to win multiple Cy Young Awards.
Verlander is one of only four pitchers in Major League history to win multiple World Series championships, win multiple Cy Young Awards, throw multiple no-hitters, and earn multiple All-Star selections; the others are Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, Tim Lincecum and former teammate Max Scherzer. Additionally, Verlander is one of only two pitchers to win the four major awards of a World Series championship, an MVP Award, a Rookie of the Year Award, and a Cy Young Award, the other being Don Newcombe; unlike Newcombe, Verlander also has multiple of two of these awards. Verlander is currently the active leader in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched.
Early life.
Verlander played Little League at Tuckahoe Little League in Richmond, Virginia. Verlander's father Richard sent him to The Richmond Baseball Academy when he was young. He was able to throw an 84 mph (135 km/h) fastball shortly after joining the academy. His velocity plateaued at during his senior year at Goochland High School, during which he was sidetracked by strep throat.
College career.
Verlander's velocity increased to during his first year with Old Dominion. Verlander, a , right-handed pitcher, played for the Old Dominion University baseball team for three years. On May 17, 2002, he struck out a then-school record 17 batters against James Madison. In 2003, he set a school single-season record by recording 139 strikeouts. In 2004, he broke his own record establishing a new Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) record with 151 strikeouts. Verlander completed his career as the all-time strikeout leader at ODU, the CAA, and the Commonwealth of Virginia (Division I) history with 427 in <templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />335+2⁄3 innings. During his three years, he averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings and his career collegiate earned run average (ERA) was 2.57.
He was named CAA Rookie of the Year in 2002 and earned All-CAA honors in 2003 and 2004. Verlander was named the ODU Alumni Association's Male Athlete of the Year in 2004 and was the second overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft by the Detroit Tigers.
Professional career.
Draft and minor leagues.
Verlander's professional baseball career began when he was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft. He signed a contract on October 25, 2004. Verlander made his professional debut in 2005. He played for two of Detroit's minor league affiliates: the Lakeland Flying Tigers (High-A) and the Erie SeaWolves (Double-A), and also started two games for the Tigers in July. After posting a 9–2 record and a 1.67 ERA in 13 starts for