Nolan Ryan Throws His Sixth No-Hitter

On June 11, 1990, Nolan Ryan no-hit the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, extending his own record to six career no-hitters. He was 43 years old. The A's were the defending American League champions, a roster that included Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, though both sat out that night. Ryan struck out 14 of the batters who did face him.

The A's were the best team in the American League. They had won the pennant three straight years from 1988 to 1990 and had swept the Giants in the 1989 World Series. The roster featured some of the most dangerous hitters in the game. None of those who played could touch Ryan that night.

Ryan's fastball was still sitting in the mid-90s, and his curveball was breaking off the table. He walked two batters. He threw 130 pitches. His catcher, John Russell, caught every one. The closest the A's came to a hit was a deep drive by Willie Randolph to left field in the fourth that Pete Incaviglia caught on the run. In the ninth, Jeff Huson made a strong play on a Rickey Henderson grounder, and the final out came when Randolph popped a fly to right fielder Ruben Sierra in foul territory. Ryan raised both fists as teammates mobbed him. The Arlington crowd watched on delayed broadcast, celebrating in Texas bars and living rooms.

Nobody expected Ryan to still be throwing no-hitters at 43. He had debuted with the Mets in 1966 and thrown his first two no-hitters in 1973, against the Royals and the Tigers. Numbers three and four came in 1974 and 1975. The fifth came in 1981 against the Dodgers. Each one was supposed to be the last. Each time Ryan proved he had more.

He threw his seventh and final no-hitter on May 1, 1991, against the Toronto Blue Jays, at age 44. Seven no-hitters, 5,714 career strikeouts, 27 seasons. He retired in 1993 at age 46. The no-hitter against Oakland was the performance that made people stop treating his longevity as a novelty and start treating it as one of the most remarkable athletic achievements in professional sports.