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Houston Sports: The ten best athletes to ever represent the city of Houston

By Joe Fernandez

Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; A general aerial view of the downtown Houston skyline prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; A general aerial view of the downtown Houston skyline prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 26, 2015; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan waves to the crowd after being introduced during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies at Clark Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 26, 2015; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan waves to the crowd after being introduced during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies at Clark Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

Nolan Ryan

One of the best power pitchers to ever play the game and a big reason the Astros nearly made the World Series twice.  Their early to mid 1980’s success was in large part due to their dominant pitching and the presence of Nolan Ryan on that staff can’t be overstated enough.

While he did enter the Hall of Fame as a Texas Ranger, eight of his record setting twenty seven Major League seasons were spent with the Astros. During those seasons he threw one of his seven major league career record no-hitters and won two ERA titles with the team in 1981 and 1987.

He also pitched in what is possibly the greatest baseball game ever played, game 6 of the 1986 National League Championship series against the New York Mets. He threw well enough to get us within arms reach of a game 7 with the unhittable Mike Scott awaiting next, throwing a full 9 innings giving up just two hits, one run and 12 strikeouts.

Though the team ended up losing that game in extra innings, Ryan’s pitching twice brought us to the cusp of the greatest stage in all of baseball (The other time being in 1980).

He’s worked in the front office for the Astros (Including currently) bouncing between us and the Texas Rangers so he still has a strong connection with the franchise and the city. He is also well-beloved for displaying a rough and tumble Texas attitude, playing through a ton of injuries throughout his career.

He is also well-beloved for displaying a rough and tumble Texas attitude

In fact after that 1986 season I mentioned, he suffered a ligament tear in his elbow and was told to have Tommy John surgery. Instead he pitched through the pain for another six years, recording two more no-hitters along the way.

To reiterate. He did that for 6 years after being told he should get Tommy John surgery. Nolan Ryan is the definition of “They don’t make ’em like they used to” when it comes to starting pitchers.

If you haven’t yet, watch the documentary “Fastball” on Netflix. Fun fact from it is that Nolan Ryan, not Aroldis Chapman, probably threw the fastest pitch ever recorded at 108 mph. However because pitch velocity was measured closer to the plate at that time (where as now it’s measured from when the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand when it’s at it’s highest speed) Ryan’s pitch only registered at 100.8 mph.

Just one more claim to fame for the Ryan Express.

Since he’s not a career Astro and played for three other teams, we couldn’t put him in the top 5 pantheon of Houston Sports athletes though.

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