Making sense of Nolan Ryan's stats and a belated hello

[D. Bergin]

Count me in the NOT over-rated crowd for Ryan.......and I don't own a single Nolan Ryan card that I'm aware of.

Walks schmalks, LOL!! Despite what your Little League coach kept telling you...........a walk is not the same thing as a hit.

Ryan, despite playing for 27 years, is the All-time leader in Hits per 9 innings allowed (not an accumulating stat).......and it's really not even close. This is a list with specialized relief studs on it, like Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.

He might have walked a lot, but he kept the ball out of play and didn't give up very many HR's.

37 Games of a Complete Game 2-hitter or less is just mind-blowing. We're going to start putting starters in the HOF who don't even have that many CG's in total.

No, he wasn't as efficient as Seaver, or Carlton or Spahn but he created an excitement level and sparked imaginations and expectations unlike many others.