Memes for chEFF

Peace

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May 1, 1991. Arlington Stadium. Texas Rangers versus Toronto Blue Jays.
Nolan Ryan walked into the clubhouse feeling every one of his 44 years. His back hurt. His heel hurt. He'd spent the day swallowing Advil just to function.
It was Arlington Appreciation Night—a tribute to the hometown fans—and Ryan had agreed to pitch on only four days' rest instead of his usual five. Now he was regretting it.
He approached pitching coach Tom House with a warning: "My back hurts, my heel hurts and I've been pounding Advil all day. I don't feel good. I feel old today. Watch me."
Manager Bobby Valentine alerted the umpires before the game even started. The Rangers might need to make an early pitching change. Someone was warming up in the bullpen, ready to take over when Ryan inevitably fell apart.
Then the first pitch left Ryan's hand.
Ninety-four miles per hour.
The second pitch: ninety-five.
Batters who weren't even born when Ryan debuted with the New York Mets in 1966 started swinging through fastballs they never saw coming.
By the second inning, Ryan's curveball was dropping like a trapdoor. He struck out the side on called strikes. Batters didn't even turn to argue. They just walked back to the dugout.
The Rangers infielders jogged off the field, looked at each other, and smiled. They knew.
By the sixth inning, Arlington Stadium—built for 43,500—was filling beyond capacity even though only 33,439 tickets had been sold. Word was spreading. History was happening.
Nolan Ryan, the man who could barely warm up three hours earlier, was throwing a no-hitter against the best-hitting team in baseball.
In the ninth inning, future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar stepped to the plate. Alomar's father, Sandy, had been Ryan's teammate with the Angels in the early 1970s. Roberto used to play catch with Nolan as a kid.
Now, two decades later, Roberto stood between Ryan and history.
Ryan fired a 2-2 fastball. Alomar swung.
Missed.
Nolan Ryan had just thrown the seventh no-hitter of his career. Three more than anyone in baseball history. At 44 years and 90 days old, he became the oldest pitcher ever to throw a no-hitter.
He struck out 16 batters. He threw 122 pitches. He did it on four days' rest, with a stress fracture in his lower back, against a lineup that would win the AL East.
When reporters asked him about it afterward, Ryan said it simply: "It was the most rewarding no-hitter of them all because it came in front of my fans on Arlington Appreciation Night. My career is complete now. I got one for the fans in Arlington."
Nolan Ryan pitched for 27 seasons. He saw seven different presidents take office during his career. He struck out players from four different decades—including Roger Maris and Mark McGwire.
He finished with 5,714 career strikeouts, 324 wins, and seven no-hitters. No one has come close since.
Modern baseball talks endlessly about pitch counts and load management. Teams monitor every throw. Innings are restricted. Arms are protected.
Nolan Ryan threw nearly 5,000 innings over two decades before that seventh no-hitter.
Guess he missed the memo.
There will never be another Nolan Ryan.
 
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