Nolan Ryan

by Ellyn Sanna

Fascinating Biographies of Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees with Information That Will Never Go Out of Date This new series brings to life the men behind the statistics, all of whom are inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, who helped make major league baseball the diverse game it is today. Predating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Roberto Clemente burst through the major league color barrier to show fans that baseball should and could be a game about talent. Record-breaking pitcher Sandy Koufax faced national scrutiny when he stood up for his right to put his Jewish traditions ahead of his baseball schedule. Nolan Ryan wowed the world with pitches that were too fast to hit, while Yogi Berra broke the mold for pitching greatness and continues to charm the world with his wit and wisdom. Scientists once measured Nolan Ryan's pitch at faster than 100 miles per hour. His pitches were just too fast to hit! Long after most players would have retired, Nolan kept pitching--until finally he had struck out more batters than any other pitcher before him. Nolan Ryan broke record after record during his twenty-seven-season career. Despite his powerful pitch, Ryan's baseball years were not always easy. This biography tells kids about the many personal and professional challenges Ryan had to overcome.

112 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2002