Posted By:
W.M.Ask any manager what the most important pitching stat next to wins is and he will tell you hands down the strike out.
For obvious reasons it keeps the ball out of play, and limits the advancement of base runners. As for Nolan Ryan he was a mediacore longevity pitcher who eventually had the right amount of stats to get into the H.O.F. I also can't think of any manger who ever hoped his pitcher would "Ground out the side" or "Pop up the side" with runners on base in the bottom half of the ninth.