The Angels Years (1972-79)

Associated Press
Ryan tips his cap to the California crowd after reaching double-digit strikeouts for the 97th game, tying the major league record.
Record: 138-121, 3.06 ERA. In 291 games (288 starts), had 1,302 walks and 2,416 strikeouts in 2,181 1/3 innings

Achievements: Pitched first four no-hitters of career (at Kansas City on May 15, 1973; at Detroit on July 15, 1973; vs. Minnesota on Sept. 28, 1974; vs. Baltimore on June 1, 1975); set major league record for strikeouts in a season (383 in 1973); won career-high 22 games in 1974; named to All-Star team four times; pitched six of his 12 career one-hitters; recorded five of the top nine single-season strikeout seasons in history between 1972-77; pitched four 19-strikeout games, including three in 1974; became Angels' all-time leader in complete games (156), shutouts (40) and strikeouts (2,416); led American League in strikeouts seven times and in walks six times in eight seasons.

Reflections:

"When I went to the Angels, I worked out really hard that winter. Harry Dalton told me they were rebuilding and I was going to have an opportunity to be in the starting rotation. Plus, my military obligation was over, so I didn't have that anymore. So I went out there and had a horrendous spring. I was wild as all get-out. And I felt at the end of spring training I'd blown my chance to be in the starting rotation.

"And then we go on strike. Reid had been born that winter in November. So now, we have a new baby, we're stuck out in California and I'd rented a house out there in Anaheim. We were sitting around 10 days, and the strike's still going on and I got rent coming due and I don't have any money. So I told Ruth, 'You know, our rent's due and I think we need to pack up and just go on home.' So I tried to convince her that we needed to go home and pursue something else. I was going to quit baseball.

"She pleaded with me not to. And so what I did was call a bank in Alvin, a guy I'd banked with, and borrowed $600 against my tax return so I could stay in California. And if he hadn't given me the money, I probably wouldn't have stayed out there. Because I was broke. And about two or three days later, the strike was over and they started me the third game of the season and I threw a shutout against Minnesota. I couldn't hardly throw strikes in spring training, and I threw a four-hit shutout.

The Rangers Years

The Astros Years

The Angels Years

The Mets Years

"The rest of the time I was with the Angels, we went to a four-day rotation and I pitched close to 1,000 innings in three years. The DH came in, and that was real important, because we had such low-scoring ballclubs. I had back-to-back years where I completed 26 games a year (1973-74). And if the DH hadn't come in, I wouldn't have accumulated those innings because they would've been pinch-hitting for me in the seventh innings. I needed those innings. And in those days, that's what they paid you on, how many innings you pitched. It wasn't whether they projected you could get somebody out like they do now. It was a different environment. That gave me an opportunity to pitch a lot of innings and show my durability.

"I consider the Angels as the foundation of my career. That's where a lot of neat things happened with four no-hitters, pitching all those innings, and I really got to where I understood my delivery and started to get consistent with my stuff."