Editing Nolan Ryan (section)

===California Angels (1972–1979)===
{{MLBBioRet
|Image  = AngelsRetired30.png
|Name   = Nolan Ryan
|Number = 30
|Team   = California Angels
|Year   = 1992
|}}

On December 10, 1971, the 24-year-old Ryan was traded to the [[Los Angeles Angels|California Angels]] along with pitcher [[Don Rose (baseball)|Don Rose]], catcher [[Francisco Estrada]], and outfielder [[Leroy Stanton]] for shortstop [[Jim Fregosi]] (who later managed Ryan in Anaheim).<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/> 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.<ref name="fagan">{{cite web |last1=Fagan |first1=Ryan |date=November 26, 2019 |title=13 worst December MLB trades of all time, ranked |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/mlb/list/mlb-trade-rumors-worst-december-trades-nolan-ryan-robinson-cabrera-wainwright-mcgrif/1914gel6y2eb41bkwkwo8v1vpb |access-date=May 12, 2020 |website=Sporting News}}</ref><ref name="NYT 1971">{{cite web |last1=Durso |first1=Joseph |title=The New York Times: This Day In Sports |url=http://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/year_in_sports/12.10.html?scp=1&sq=For%2520Jim&st=cse |website=[[The New York Times]] |quote= The Mets' trade of Nolan Ryan for the California Angels' Jim Fregosi was unquestionably the worst in baseball history. Ryan went on to throw seven no-hitters (see May 1) and become the greatest strikeout pitcher of all time. Fregosi, on the downside of his career, batted .232. (2004)|access-date=May 12, 2020 |date=December 10, 1971}}</ref><ref name="43years">{{cite web |last1=Cosman |first1=Ben |title=43 years later, relive the day the Mets traded Nolan Ryan to the Angels |url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/43-years-later-relive-the-day-the-new-york-mets-traded-nolan-ryan-to-the-california-angels/c-103707354 |website=MLB.com |publisher=Major League Baseball |access-date=May 12, 2020 |date=December 10, 2014}}</ref>

In his [[1972 Major League Baseball season|first season]] with the [[1972 California Angels season|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.<ref name=data/> 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,<ref name=data/> 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 [[1973 New York Mets season|Mets' 1973]] pennant-winning campaign; he was sold to the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|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).<ref name=data/> 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.

[[File:Nolan Ryan 1972.jpeg|thumb|left|150px|Ryan, circa 1972]]

On July 9, 1972, Ryan struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 3–0 win over the [[1972 Boston Red Sox season|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 [[1968 St. Louis Cardinals season|St.&nbsp;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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/16/archives/ryan-exmet-hurls-2d-nohitter.html|title=Ryan, Ex-Met, Hurls 2d No-Hitter|work=The New York Times |date=July 16, 1973|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> (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!"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_9_60/ai_76928886/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708184424/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_9_60/ai_76928886/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |title="Tiger first baseman Norm Cash." ''Baseball Digest'', 2001 |publisher=Findarticles.com |date=July 15, 1973 |access-date=March 12, 2011 }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quote.webcircle.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?idPlayer=517 |title=Those were the best pitches I ever heard. |publisher=webcircle.com |access-date=July 18, 2013}}</ref>

In 1973, Ryan set his first major record when he [[strikeout|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."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eJQs7-lu-2YC&q=Yeah%2C+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&pg=PA199|title=Season of Ghosts: The '86 Mets and the Red Sox|first=Howard|last=Burman|date=December 18, 2012|publisher=McFarland|access-date=December 7, 2017|via=Google Books|isbn=9781476600437}}</ref> Ryan finished second in balloting for the [[Cy Young Award]], behind [[Jim Palmer]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/08/archives/orioles-palmer-beats-ryan-for-young-award-palmer-is-voted-best-of.html|title=Orioles' Palmer Beats Ryan for Young Award|first=Joseph|last=Durso|work=The New York Times |date=November 8, 1973|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL197406140.shtml|title=Boston Red Sox at California Angels Box Score, June 14, 1974|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/40-years-ago-saturday-nolan-ryan-threw-235-pitches-in-a-game/263064361/|title=40 years ago Saturday, Nolan Ryan threw 235 pitches in a game|website=Star Tribune|date=June 13, 2014 }}</ref>

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 {{convert|100.8|mph|kph}} when it was {{convert|10|ft|m}} in front of [[home plate]]. This exceeded an earlier pitch by [[Bob Feller]] which was measured at {{convert|98.6|mph|kph}} at home plate and previously thought to be the fastest pitch ever recorded.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Hock, Jonathon (Director) |date=2016 |title=Fastball |medium=Motion picture }}</ref>

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 California Angels season|1979]]. He started Game 1 of the [[1979 American League Championship Series|ALCS]] against the [[1979 Baltimore Orioles season|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 agency (Major League Baseball)|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 [[Base on balls|walks]] in six of those years, and finished second the other two seasons: 1975 and 1979.<ref name=data/> 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.<ref name="baseball-reference.com2"/>