Oh, it’s almost that time of year … the smell of hot dogs, nachos, and popcorn fill the air as the fans scurry to their seats at a baseball field! (I would say the ‘smell of grass’, but few fields still have any.) Opening Day for the Texas Rangers is on Thursday, March 30, and another season of hopes, dreams, and high expectations draws nigh as I make sure my jerseys are free of mustard and tear stains from last season.
It is also that time of year when I pull a couple of books from the shelves to re-read for the umpteenth time. First is my autographed copy of Throwing Heat, the 35-year-old story of Nolan Ryan, whom many consider the greatest pitcher of all in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Reggie Jackson once commented that “Ryan’s the only guy who put fear in me.”
He pitched for 27 years, amassed a 324/292 Win/Loss record, 5714 strikeouts (more than any other pitcher and 839 more than #2 Randy Johnson), and a career 3.19 ERA. He is the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher. He is tied for most one-hitters with Bob Feller, with twelve. Ryan also allowed the most grand slams (10), the most walks (2,795), and the most wild pitches in a career (277). On June 14, 1974, Ryan was pitching for the California Angels against the Boston Red Sox in a 15-inning marathon. He threw 235 pitches and struck out 19 in his 13 innings of work!
The book takes the reader from his high school days in Alvin, Texas to a pinnacle in achievement, but stops before his 5 years as a Texas Ranger. The book’s dedication illustrates the humble man:
To Ruth, my parents, my friends, and fans
for all their support through the years.
If you have the opportunity to watch a movie about his life and career, you will enjoy it. It is entitled Facing Ryan.
***
“I was born to catch,” explained the young man whose father moved him from pitcher to catcher in Puerto Rico Little League in 1963. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. They Call Me Pudge is a wonderful book about the career of Iván Rodríguez between those dates, his rise from baseball in Puerto Rico, through farm teams in the USA, and up to the Big Show. He was a good hitter, but dangerous to those considering stealing a base. During his first stint behind the plate for the Texas Rangers at Comiskey Park in Chicago, he threw out two runners on the bases … one throw was clocked at 94 mph. The next day, he made a bit of baseball history … a teenage Pudge Rodríguez caught 44-year-old Nolan Ryan!
Pudge was a 14-time All-Star, AL MVP, NLCS MVP, 13-time Gold Glove Award winner, and 7-time Silver Slugger Award winner. As dangerous a hitter as he was, defensively he was amazing. He is the all-time leader in putouts as a catcher with 14,864 career putouts. And yet like Nolan Ryan’s book dedication, Pudge shows his personal side:
To my parents, Jose and Eva,
for all their love, inspiration, and sacrifice
Pudge never forgot his roots in Puerto Rico, and continues to support his communities with programs, contributions, and his personal time.
By now you have figured out I love baseball. But more importantly, I enjoy how baseball greatness is developed within the player through his family and community involvement.