tonight 17 years ago... May 1, 1991

[PURPLE 4EVER]

Nolan Ryan throws 7th no hitter.....

What is more likely never to be broken...

The strike out number, or the 7 no hitters.....

The 7th no hitter (IMO) is the greatest baseball record in my 41 year old lifetime.

here is a pretty good article...

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I figured, as an interesting way to talk about some historical events in sports, I would do an article on an event that occurred today in sports, May 1.  Nolan Ryan, one of the greatest pitchers of all-time, pitched his seventh no-hitter on this date 17 years ago.

It is a extraordinary achievement to pitch one no-hitter, but to pitch seven, that's unreal.  With a combination of hard-thrown fastballs and equally as effective off-speed stuff, the 44-year-old Ryan baffled Toronto Blue Jays hitters all night.  To be 44 years old and still pitching in the majors is a feat in itself, but to still be the most prolific pitcher in the game made Ryan another species.

The "Strikeout King" lived up to his billing that night, tossing 16 K's, including gassing Roberto Alomar with 93-mile-per-hour heat to end the game.  His longevity defied all odds.

"There is always somebody who defies the odds," Blue Jays Joe Carter said after the game. "For baseball, it is him [Ryan]."

In an age when we are worried if Randy Johnson, 44, can even throw an extra inning or two to get his team to the bullpen, Ryan was still dominant and overpowering.  The importance of this event goes to show that even some players go beyond what is normal, and Ryan was one of the few (the only other coming to my mind would be Satchel Paige).

Another spectacle from the night was that Ryan upstaged another record, which otherwise would have been in the spotlight: Rickey Henderson breaking Lou Brock's stolen base record.  Both Ryan and Henderson, some of the best the game has ever seen, went into the history books together that night.

May 1, 1991 was truly quite the day in baseball history, setting two incredible marks. 

[bullets13]

i doubt either will ever be broken.  the strikeout record is more vulnerable, but i don't see it happening.  the bullpen plays a much more prominent role than it did throughout nolan's career.  these days, strikeout pitchers don't get to go that deep into games, so nobody who has a chance of catching him will pitch enough innings in their career to do it, as they'll be pulled every time they hit 115-120 pitches. 

[AJ25]

neither will ever broken. it'll take a 19 yearold phenom who pitches until he's 45 to break it. lol

[Interested Observer]

The closest pitcher to Ryan's strikeout record is Clemens and it would appear that his career is over...Johnson is right behind him but he would appear to be in the last year or 2 and he's over 1k away. The other active pitchers behind him are Schilling, Maddux, Martinez and Smoltz and they are all over 2k away. I just don't see it ever being broken