3. Nolan Ryan
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With such a rich history of Irish American backgrounds in the country’s existence, it’s only logical to assume that some very influential and great players with Irish ethnicity have been part of this classic game.
In terms of a WAR basis, Nolan Ryan posted a number of 81.8 which ranks 58th overall. There are probably other great players with Irish bloodlines in their person, but because Ryan (derived from Rian) is both a given and surname directly of Irish origin it makes sense to pay homage to the Ryan Express on this day. Anglicized as Ryan, the original meaning behind the name loosely is believed to translate to “chief” or “king” in Gaelic Irish.
One of the finer pitchers to ever play the game, Ryan’s 5714 strikeouts rank first in MLB history by a significant margin to Randy Johnson‘s 4875. Ryan was notorious for his velocity as well as career longevity, having played well into his forties as a 46-year old with the Texas Rangers in 1993. He also holds the career record for most no-hitters with seven, but despite a lifetime ERA of 3.19 and all of his prestigious accomplishments, the right-hander never won a Cy Young Award.