Halo’s Still There : Ryan Went On to Star for the Astros and Rangers, but Angels Will Induct Him Into Their Hall of Fame Tonight

The Angels will induct Nolan Ryan into their Hall of Fame tonight and retire the No. 30 he wore during his eight years with them.

That he now wears No. 34 with the Texas Rangers, and is still wearing out speed guns 13 years after leaving the Angels to join the Houston Astros as a free agent, adds a touch of irony to tonight’s event at Anaheim Stadium.

The celebration ensures that Ryan will always be remembered in Anaheim, but will he always be remembered as an Angel?

Whose cap will he have etched on the plaque five years after he finally retires and is inducted into that other Hall of Fame in Cooperstown?

Ryan laughed. At 45, his number is being retired, but the man who wore it insists that he hasn’t thought about throwing in the rest of his uniform or what logo will appear on that plaque.

Not a cut-and-dried decision, he said, when asked about the Hall of Fame choice between the Angels and Rangers, who might make it difficult for him because he signed a 10-year personal-services contract last year that kicks in when he retires as a player.

“People tend to remember what you did last, but a lot of what I’ve accomplished with the Rangers is because of what I accomplished in my eight years with the Angels,” Ryan said. “I look at those eight years as the foundation of my career. I look at Anaheim as the place where I established my career.

“The team and many of the relations that developed in that time are special to me, which is why (tonight) is one of the neatest honors I’ve ever received. I mean, it’s not as if I finished my career with the Angels, not as if I’ve retired yet.”

At an age when most athletes have moved on to other things, an age when Ryan might seem more comfortable herding cattle on his Texas ranches or greeting

customers at the bank he owns in hometown Alvin, he

has achieved some of his most memorable milestones: Victory No. 300, strikeout No. 5,000, no-hitters Nos. 6 and 7--all as a Ranger.

A young generation of fans knows him and remember him only in the Texas uniform and as national spokesman for a variety of products, but it was during those sizzling ‘70s with the Angels that he turned the potential of his early years with the New York Mets into blazing reality.

It was a period measured by the speed gun and record book--he holds or shares 20 club marks--but it wasn’t always easy. Ryan had to cope with a succession of bad Angel teams and the varying strategies of six managers. He often beat himself with a wildness that resisted control but intimidated hitters--”He’s the only pitcher I fear at the plate,” Reggie Jackson once said.

He left after the 1979 season to become baseball’s first $1-million-a-year player with the Astros, a move that still haunts the Angels and might have cost owner Gene Autry one or more appearances in the World Series--which he has yet to reach. Ryan had established his credentials with accomplishments that have only been enhanced during his 13 years in Texas.

Consider:

--In his eight years with the Angels, Ryan had a 138-121 record for a .533 percentage compared to the .481 percentage of the Angels, who finished at .500 or better in only two of those years.

--He won 16 or more games six times and 19 or more four times, including 21 in 1973, when the Angels were four games under .500, and 22 in 1974, when the Angels were a dreadful 68-94. His 3.06 earned-run average for the eight years is testimony that he pitched well enough to win more.

--He averaged 36 starts a year and had a total of 288 as an Angel, giving up three hits or fewer in 41. There was a touch of drama every time he went to the mound. He pitched four no-hitters, five one-hitters, 13 two-hitters and 19 three-hitters.

--He led the American League in strikeouts in seven of the eight years, getting 300 or more five times, including a major league record 383 in 1973.

--He struck out 19 in a game four times as an Angel, 18 once and 17 three times.

--In 1974, to stimulate attendance, the Angels hired scientists from Rockwell International to time Ryan’s pitches during a game against the Chicago White Sox.

During the ninth inning, after having thrown more than 140 pitches, Ryan struck out Bee Bee Richard with a high fastball clocked at 100.9 m.p.h., the fastest in recorded history, although Bob Feller insisted he threw faster, and Ryan, too, believes he has thrown faster on several occasions.

It all represented the stuff of legends, but it is as a Ranger that Ryan seems to have taken on legendary proportions. Until going winless in his last 12 starts, he had continued to dominate and intimidate with that remarkable velocity and resiliency, throwing his seventh no-hitter 19 years after his first, still firing in the 90s--in terms of the speed gun and the decade.

“As spectacular a career as Nolan has had, some of his greatest adulation and accomplishments have come here in Arlington,” Texas General Manager Tom Grieve said.

“I don’t think the Ryan legend really started until he got to Texas. He won more games and struck out more people in other cities, but he’s reached more milestones in Texas. That he’s done it between the ages of 41 and 45 makes it even more astounding.

“I think the change of scenery for Nolan, along with his work ethic and competitive nature, may have allowed him to reach back and find something even he didn’t know was there.”

Ryan has acknowledged that. He has said that he thought his last contract with the Astros would be his last, period. He never thought he would still be pitching at 45, but there would never have been the 13 years with the Astros and Rangers had it not been for the eight years of dazzling development with the Angels, and the grievous mistake by then general manager Buzzie Bavasi in allowing Ryan to leave as a free agent after the 1979 season.

Ryan had become the biggest name in club history, a bona fide attraction at the gate and one of owner Autry’s all-time favorites. But Autry inexplicably felt that he couldn’t override his general manager when Bavasi overreacted to a mere suggestion by agent Richard Moss that the negotiations begin at $1 million a year. It was the start and end of those talks.

“I think it’s been difficult for any old-timer to come to grips with the present-day salaries,” Bavasi said. “I can’t see anybody 60 times better than Jackie Robinson or 30 times better than Sandy Koufax.

“If Dick Moss had put more pressure on me I might have given in, but Ryan was basically a .500 pitcher in his last two years with us. He’s a Hall of Famer now, but I had to look at wins and losses, whether we were winning pennants with a pitcher who wanted $1 million, and it wasn’t happening.”

Ryan was 16-14 as he helped pitch the Angels to their first division title in 1979. When he left after that season, a cynical Bavasi said, “All we have to do is find two 8-and-7 pitchers.”

The search was harder than Bavasi or anyone else might have believed, forcing Autry to spend as much on free agents who failed--Bill Travers, Jesse Jefferson, Frank LaCorte and John D’Acquisto, among them--than he would have had to pay Ryan.

Bavasi, repeatedly under fire from media and fans, acknowledged in time that losing Ryan was his biggest mistake. In fact, after Ryan’s sixth no-hitter, at Oakland in 1990, Bavasi sent him a telegram that read: “Nolan, some time ago, I made it public that I made a mistake. You don’t have to rub it in.”

Ryan has rubbed it in in several ways, though, often insisting he would never have returned to the club while Bavasi was there, that $1 million was merely a starting point in ‘79, and that Bavasi would have had a bargain by accepting.

“I’d probably still be pitching for the Angels,” Ryan said. “But what Buzzie did was make it possible for me to move on and make a lot more money.”

Ryan almost returned after the 1988 season, lured back by Autry as a free agent after being snubbed by the Astros.

“I love Gene, and I really thought I’d end up in Anaheim, but I didn’t anticipate Texas becoming involved,” Ryan said of a cross-state Ranger offer that was less than Autry’s, but allowed him to keep his family in place.

Mike Port, then the Angels’ general manager, said: “The only thing we were unable to do, and we respected Nolan in this regard, is move Alvin, Tex., to Orange County.”

The Ryans moved to Orange County in the winter of 1971 after a trade that sent infielder Jim Fregosi to the New York Mets for Ryan, pitcher Don Rose, catcher Francisco Estrada and outfielder Lee Stanton. It was the first trade by new Angel General Manager Harry Dalton, and one he has had difficulty matching the rest of his career.

It turned out to be a four-for-one steal, because Fregosi, a popular and productive player as a six-time All-Star during his 10 years with the Angels, was in the twilight of his career and Ryan was on the verge of blossoming, though no one could have predicted the extent.

Ryan had spent four years with the Mets as a part-time starter and reliever before asking to be traded after the 1971 season, so frustrated with his development that he was considering premature retirement.

Several factors, he said, affected his decision to request a trade:

--He and his wife, Ruth, his high school sweetheart, were never comfortable in New York.

--He believed the Mets were as frustrated with his wildness as he was and were unable and unwilling to provide a level of communication and instruction that he needed.

--He never had a set role and was always the odd man out of the rotation while fulfilling a military obligation two weekends a month.

The Mets tended to keep Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman on a regular schedule, which meant that Ryan, if he was away for the weekend, often did not pitch for 10-12 days at a time, an untenable situation for a young pitcher striving to develop mechanics that would allow him to harness his control.

Ryan recalled the call he received from Met General Manager Bob Scheffing, telling him he had been traded to the Angels.

“He said I was going to sunny California, and I assumed he meant the Dodgers,” Ryan said. I just assumed I would always be a National Leaguer and was in shock when he said it was the Angels. The only thing I knew about the Angels was the problems they’d had that year with Alex Johnson and the stories about guns in the clubhouse.

“The American League and the Angels seemed a million miles away at a time when I wanted to play in Houston because it was my home. There was a lot of apprehension then, but I can look back now and realize the Angels represented a fresh start, and my experience there totally turned my career around.”

Whitey Herzog, now a senior vice president with the Angels and a man who believes Ryan might have the best arm he has ever seen, was director of player development for the Mets when Scheffing called him the night of Dec. 9, 1971, the eve of the trade.

“Scheff wanted me to reach Leroy Stanton, who was playing in Venezuela, and tell him he’d been traded to the Angels for Fregosi,” Herzog said.

“I told Scheff I had scouted Fregosi that season and didn’t think he could move much anymore. I told him I wouldn’t trade Fregosi for Stanton, who was a good young hitter.

“Scheff listened but didn’t say anything. He just repeated that he wanted me to call Stanton. It wasn’t until the next morning that I picked up the papers and found we not only traded Stanton but also Ryan, Estrada and Rose for Fregosi.

“You know, Scheff never said another word to me about that conversation.”

Ryan believes that two factors worked in his immediate favor with the Angels:

--He was through with his military obligation.

--The Angels were rebuilding and could afford to give a struggling young pitcher the starts and innings he needed.

“I pitched 184 innings my first year and that almost doubled any year with the Mets,” Ryan said.

He also got the communication and support he hadn’t always received in New York. The late Tom Morgan, the Angels’ pitching coach, was behind him from the start. Ryan also benefited from his work with catcher Jeff Torborg and coach John Roseboro, two former Dodgers who had helped Koufax control his early wildness.

“The big thing was that there was a difference in organizational attitude,” Ryan said. “With the Angels at that point, the game wasn’t as critical as allowing the talent to develop. There wasn’t the pressure to win, and you could sense that.

“I knew I would be given a chance to work in and out of jams, that one or two bad starts wouldn’t put me in the bullpen. That’s not a criticism of the Mets, it was just the circumstance. The Mets were looking to repeat 1969 (and their surprising World Series title), while the Angels were rebuilding and could be patient with young players.”

In time, Morgan convinced Ryan that he didn’t have to overthrow with his natural velocity, that his control would come with consistency in delivery and mechanics. It was never easy--Ryan led the league in walks in six of the eight years--but he learned to use the wildness to his advantage, developed more consistency and eventually became a mechanical model for others.

Ryan also benefited from his new relationship with ageless Jimmie Reese, the longtime Angel coach and master of the fungo.

In what seemed to be an odd-couple relationship because of the difference in age, Reese became friend and confidant to Ryan, whose work ethic, the cornerstone of his success and longevity, was developed during the many hours Reese wielded his fungo. He hit grounders and line drives at Ryan, who would name his second son Nolan Reese in tribute to his now 90-year-old friend.

The remarkable Reese will be there in uniform tonight when the Angels retire the remarkable Ryan’s number. He had always worn that 30 until he got to Houston, where he switched to 34 for two reasons:

--Jeffrey Leonard, who wore 30, was coming off a strong rookie season and Ryan didn’t want to cause clubhouse friction by demanding the shirt off the back of the man known as “Penitentiary Face.”

--Oiler running back Earl Campbell, the most popular Houston athlete at the time, wore 34, so Ryan figured he’d make it a number for all seasons in Houston. Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets now wears it.

Of course, there are numbers that always will be more important to Ryan. He reflected on the highlights of his eight years with the Angels and chose:

--The 383 strikeouts of 1973, because “as a high school pitcher I was a big fan of Sandy Koufax, so it meant a lot to me to break his (major league record of 382).”

--The second no-hitter against Detroit in July of 1973, because “it was the most dominating stuff I had in any of the no-hitters, one of those special days when everything came together.”

It also produced one of the funniest incidents of his career, a frustrated Norm Cash coming out to hit carrying a piano leg.

--The fourth no-hitter against Baltimore in June of 1975 because “it tied Koufax (for the most no-hitters).”

Ryan, of course, broke the tie, as a member of the Astros, and extended the record, as a member of the Rangers.

The beat goes on, but Ryan said he will always regard the Angels with fondness, his only disappointments being the way Bavasi ushered him out and a lingering feeling that Fregosi, then the manager, didn’t go to bat for him with Autry, and the failure to get the Cowboy to the World Series in ’79.

“I always thought I’d retire as an Angel,” Ryan said, looking ahead to tonight’s celebration. “The longer I was there, the more comfortable I became with the idea that they would never trade me and I would never leave as a free agent. Even in my free-agent year it wasn’t until the last six weeks that it hit me that I wouldn’t be back.”

After tonight, at least, No. 30 will never leave again.

(Orange County Edition) MEMORABLE MOMENTS

JULY 15, 1973: “Nolan pitched a no-hitter at Detroit and had 16 strikeouts after seven innings. That was the best-pitched feat I’ve ever seen. His stuff was so overpowering that day that Norm Cash (Tiger first baseman) found an old piano leg in Tiger Stadium and brought it out to hit with him in the sixth inning. The umpire (Bill Haller) said, ‘Norm, you can’t bring that thing out here,’ and Norm said, ‘I know, but I’m not doing much with a bat, I need something bigger.’ ”

--BOBBY WINKLES, Angel manager, 1973-’74

SEPTEMBER 28, 1974: “When he threw the no-hitter that I caught against Minnesota. When it was over, he thanked me. I knew it was sincere and from the heart. At that point in time, I realized he was not only a great pitcher but a great person. Just knowing he appreciated all the effort I and everyone else put into playing well that game meant a lot to me. I don’t really remember that day because of the no-hitter, I remember it because he thanked me so much.”

--TOM EGAN, Angel catcher, 1974-’75

JUNE 8, 1977: “There was a game I caught him in Toronto. I would always catch the starting pitcher for his last five minutes of warmups in the bullpen, so I went down there, warmed him up, came back to the dugout, walked by (Manager) Norm Sherry and said, ‘Boys, sit back, because you’re going to see something special tonight.’ He had a no-hitter through five innings before some guy got a bloop hit off him, and he struck out 19. He had the greatest stuff I’ve ever seen that night.”

--ANDY ETCHEBARREN, Angel catcher, 1975-’77

JULY 15, 1973: “The one game I remember was no-hitter in Detroit when he struck out 17. It was one of the very few games I’ve seen where the other team had no chance. No one hit the ball hard off the guy, no one had one good swing, He looked like he could have done that all day long, he just dominated.”

--FRANK ROBINSON, Angel player, 1973-74

JULY 15, 1973: “The one that really stands out is the no-hitter in Detroit. Detroit had as much chance of hitting him that night as somebody trying to hit a feather in a tornado. They had no chance. I just laughed at the Tigers, because they had beaten up on me the night before.”

“When he retires, they should just go ahead and put him in the hall of fame without waiting five years. Just stick him in there, that would be the ultimate compliment.”

--CLYDE WRIGHT, Angel pitcher, 1966-73

SEPTEMBER 27, 1973: “It was the time I almost cost Nolan the major league season strikeout record. It was his last start in 1973 (Sept. 27) against the Twins. We go extra innings and he still doesn’t have the record (382, set by Sandy Koufax in 1965). He gets no strikeouts in in the ninth or 10th and then, in the 11th, he walks Rod Carew. With two outs, Rich Reese is the batter and Carew tries to steal second base. I make the best throw I make all season. Nolie’s going for the record and I make my best throw. What a dummy! Luckily, the second base ump calls Rod safe. Nolan gets Reese for his 16th strikeout and he breaks the record. But, I almost blew it.”

--JEFF TORBORG, Angel catcher, 1971-73

AUGUST 13, 1977: “We were playing the Yankees in Yankee Stadium, 11th inning and Nolan was still in the game and Reggie Jackson came up with a man on second. I went out and talked to Nolan to see whether he wanted to pitch to Reggie. He had already thrown something like 160 pitches. He said he was going to throw him nothing but fastballs. Then, he threw three of the damnest fastballs I’ve ever seen and struck him out on three pitches. Reggie actually tipped his helmet to Nolan before he dropped it in the batter’s box.”

--ANDY ETCHEBARREN, Angel catcher, 1977

SPRING, 1979: “I remember when I came to the Angels. I moved into a house next door to Nolan in Villa Park. I was coming from Minnesota, where you usually have the furnace in the basement, and I can’t find the furnace. Nolan comes over, goes up in the attic, searched around and lit it for me. I’m thinking, ‘If that thing blows up, how am I going to explain this to the Angels?’ ”

--ROD CAREW, Angel first baseman, 1979-85

JUNE, 1992: “What I remember the most about Nolan Ryan is the kind of man he is. He is a ‘Hall of Fame’ pitcher and a ‘Hall of Fame’ person.”

--CARNEY LANSFORD, Angel third baseman, 1978-80

NUMBER RETIRED

Ryan Joins Carew, Autry: The uniform number 30 will be retired tonight, when Nolan Ryan is inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.

29: Rod Carew, ‘79-’85 First Base

26: Gene Autry, ‘61-’92 Owner

ANGEL HALL

Nolan Makes it 5: Joins Bobby Grich, Jim Fregosi, Don Baylor and Rod Carew.

Bobby Grich, ‘77-’86 Second Base

Jim Fregosi, ‘61-’71 Shortstop

WHERE HE’S PITCHED

Played for Four Teams: Ryan has been more successful in the American League, compiling a 179-146 won-loss record. His National League mark is 135-132.

New York Mets: ‘66-’71 (29-38) 493 SO 3.51 ERA

Angels: ‘72-’79 (138-121) 2,416 SO 3.06 ERA

Houston Astros: ‘80-’88 (106-94) 1,866 SO 3.13 ERA

Texas Rangers: ‘89-’92 (41-25) 736 SO 3.34 ERA

DATA

* 45, married (Ruth), father of three (Reid, Nolan, Wendy)

* Traded from New York Mets to the Angels on Dec. 10, 1971, with pitcher Don Rose, outfielder Lee Stanton and catcher Francisco Estrada for infielder Jim Fregosi.

* Granted free agency Nov. 1, 1979. Signed by Houston Astros Nov. 19, 1979

NO-HITTERS

Angels Saw 4 of His 7

* May 15, 1973 at Kansas City

* July 15, 1973 at Detroit

* Sept. 28, 1974 vs. Kansas City

* June 1, 1975 vs. Baltimore

Ryan’s Milestones

Nolan Ryan’s eight years with the Angels provided enough thrills for a mini-series of highlight films. Here is a look at those seasons, his benchmark strikeouts and records:

THE ANGEL YEARS

Year W-L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO 1972 19-16 2.28 39 39 20 9 0 284.0 166 80 72 157 329 1973 21-16 2.87 41 39 26 4 1 326.0 238 113 104 162 383 1974 22-16 2.89 42 41 26 3 0 333.0 221 127 107 202 367 1975 14-12 3.45 28 28 10 5 0 198.0 152 90 76 132 186 1976 17-18 3.36 39 39 21 7 0 284.0 193 117 106 183 327 1977 19-16 2.77 37 37 22 4 0 299.0 198 110 92 204 341 1978 10-13 3.71 31 31 14 3 0 235.0 183 106 97 148 260 1979 16-14 3.59 34 34 17 5 0 223.0 169 104 89 114 223

10-K Year Games 1972 17 1973 23 1974 13 1975 4 1976 13 1977 20 1978 14 1979 10

FIRST ANGEL VICTORY

No. 30 overall: April 18, 1972, vs. Minnesota, 2-0

LAST ANGEL VICTORY

No. 167 overall: Sept. 24, 1979, vs. Kansas City, 4-3

HIS TEAM RECORDS

* Most games won, season, right-handed pitcher: 22, 1974

* Most games started, season: 41, 1974

* Most complete games, season: 26, 1973 and 1974

* Most innings pitched, season: 333.0, 1974

* Most bases on balls, season: 204, 1977

* Most strikeouts, season: 383, 1973

* Most games, 10 or more strikeouts, season: 23, 1973

* Most wild pitches, starter, season: 21, 1977

* Most bases on balls, 9 innings: 10, April 5, 1974, at Chicago

* Most strikeouts, 9 innings: 19, Aug. 12, 1974, vs. Boston

* Most strikeouts, extra innings: 19, June 14, 1974, vs. Boston-13 innings

19, Aug. 20, 1974, vs. Detroit-11 innings

19, June 8, 1977, vs. Toronto-10 innings

* Striking out the side, 9 pitches: July 9, 1972, vs. Boston-2nd inning

* Consecutive complete games won: 7, Aug. 29-Sept. 27, 1973

* Consecutive shutouts: 3, 1972 and 1976-77

* Consecutive strikeouts: 8, July 9, 1972, vs. Boston and Aug. 7, 1973, at Milwaukee (tied major league record and set AL record)

* Strikeouts, two consecutive games: 32, 1974, Aug. 7 vs. Chicago (13) and Aug. 12 vs. Boston (19)

* Strikeouts, three consecutive games: 47, 1974, Aug. 12 vs. Boston (19), Aug. 16 vs. Milwaukee (9), Aug. 20 vs. Detroit (19)

ANGEL TOTALS

* Career victories: 138

* Career complete games: 156

* Career innings pitched: 2,182

* Career shutouts: 40

* Career strikeouts: 2,416

STRIKEOUT COUNT

500-April 18, 1972, vs. Minnesota--Charlie Manuel

1,000-July 3, 1973, vs. Oakland--Sal Bando

1,500-Aug. 25, 1974, vs. N.Y. Yankees--Sandy Alomar

2,000-Aug. 31, 1976, vs. Detroit--Ron LeFlore

2,500-Aug. 12, 1978, vs. Cleveland--Buddy Bell

MAJOR LEAGUE RECORDS

* Most strikeouts, career, 5,562

* Most walks, career, 2,711

* Most no-hitters, career, 7

* Most one-hitters, career, 12, tied with Bob Feller

* Most strikeouts, season: 383, 1973

* Most strikeouts, extra-inning game, losing pitcher: 19, Aug. 20, 1974 vs. Toronto, 1-0 in 11

* Most times, 10 or more strikeouts, season: 23, 1973

* Most strikeouts, inning, on nine pitched balls (ties record), July 9, 1972, 2nd inning

* Most consecutive strikeouts, game: 8, July 9, 1972, July 15, 1973

* Strikeouts, two consecutive games: 32, 1974, Aug. 7 vs. Chicago (13) and Aug. 12 vs. Boston (19)

* Strikeouts, three consecutive games: 47, 1974, Aug. 12 vs. Boston (19), Aug. 16 vs. Milwaukee (9), Aug. 20 vs. Detroit (19)

* Most no-hitters pitched, season: 2, 1973

* Most low-hit (no-hit and one-hit) games in a season (tied record): 3, 1973

* Most years leading American League in bases on balls: 6; 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978

* Most clubs shut out in season: 8, 1972

* Most years leading American League in most errors, pitcher: 4; 1975, 1976, 1977 (tied), 1978

* Lowest hits allowed average per nine innings, season: 5.26, 1972; 166 hits, 284 innings

* Championship series; most consecutive strikeouts, start of game: 4 (ties record), Oct. 3, 1979

Source: Major league baseball