Nolan Ryan grew up in Alvin, Texas, and began pitching in Little League. At Alvin High School, he was an outstanding athlete who led his team to the state baseball finals in 1965. After graduation, he was drafted by the New York Mets, and in 1969 he was part of the Miracle Mets team that won the World Series. Known for his blazing fastball and nicknamed the “Ryan Express” by the New York media, he later pitched for the California Angels, the Houston Astros, and the Texas Rangers, where he retired in 1993. Over a 27-year Major League Baseball career, he earned 324 victories, seven no-hitters, and 12 one-hitters, and his record of 5,714 strikeouts will likely never be broken. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, and the Houston Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Married to Ruth since 1967, he has three children, Reid, Reese, and Wendy, and seven grandchildren.