“Facing Nolan” (2022): Few Fates More Daunting

Nolan Ryan is the greatest power pitcher in baseball history. Among his 51 Major League records which have absolutely zero chance of ever being broken are the astounding career totals of 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters.

I am a huge fan forever of Ryan. I was in the stands on September 22, 1993 under Seattle’s long since imploded Kingdome. That evening versus a sad sack squad of Mariners I bore witness to my hero wrecking his right throwing arm elbow beyond repair. Ryan never even made it out of the first inning. It was to be the final game in which the first ballot Hall of Famer would ever pitch.

He was 46 years old.

To this day it remains one of the saddest moments of my life.

The recently released documentary “Facing Nolan” is complete in it’s capacity to captivate from start to finish. Chronicling Ryan’s remarkable life from a rangy kid growing up south of Houston in the quaint hamlet of Alvin, Texas (just down the road apiece from where yours truly was raised in Clear Lake City), through an astonishing 27 years in “The Bigs” (yep, yet another milestone mark never to be surpassed) and winding up with his currently quiet life as family man and gentleman rancher, a few common themes emerge.

This man they respectfully and in awe called “The Express” harbors a soul of genuine humility. Of quiet confidence. Of a fierce, undying and unapologetic will to win. All the while consistently conducting himself with nothing less than pure and unwavering class and dignity.

And as regards a reputation cultivated on the hurler’s hill for over a quarter of a century, one may merely muse over this. When fellow fearsome fireballing legend Randy Johnson (whose 4,875 lifetime K’s are second only to Ryan and still well over 800 in arrears) calls you the greatest power pitcher of all-time, guess what?

That’s your ballgame, fans.

Video Review of another righteous sports doc "Reggie".