Nolan Ryan

Artist Statement

Nolan Ryan’s name is synonymous with strikeout. His career spanned a record 27-years as a member of the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. Elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, the flamethrower routinely threw fastballs clocked at over 100 miles per hour. Even his curveball was delivered with amazing velocity and had hitters a little nervous as they stepped into the batter’s box to face him. Ryan finished his career with 5,714 strikeouts, a major league record by a wide margin (the runner-up is 839 strikeouts behind him). Ryan is also the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven (the closest competitor has four), and he also has 12 one-hitters (tied with Bob Feller for first all-time). A testament to his conditioning and professionalism, Ryan’s longevity allowed him to appear in major league games across four different decades. 

Who’s Next was created to reflect the intimidating nature of Ryan’s presence on the mound. His stare, his body language, the fear felt by a hitter when they know the pitcher they’re facing can hit 100 miles per hour. At the time of the painting, Ryan was already the strikeout king (hence the tally marks on the wall behind him) and had recently thrown his 7th no-hitter. The question remaining: would he throw an 8th in a future performance? The smoke rising from the ball was beginning to take shape just in case.