The best careers after age 35 in MLB history: 12. Nolan Ryan, 1982-93 (35-46)
- 135 wins (135-118)
- 2465 strikeouts
- 49.6 WAR
- 2312.0 IP
If you were to poll MLB hitters, both past and present, about the most intimidating pitchers they’ve ever seen on a baseball mound, there’s one name that likely comes up a lot. That’s Nolan Ryan. The impressive career of Ryan spanned a record-tying 27 seasons, from age 19 to 46. He tossed seven no-hitters, another MLB record. And, he struck out more than one thousand hitters than any other player to walk the earth. We’re talking rare company here.
After 27 years of a Hall of Fame career, Ryan put together some statistically absurd seasons in the league. A lot of these seasons came before turning 35, but there’s also a reason he played well into his 40s. His numbers came a little back down to earth but he remained a dominant and intimidating force after turning 35 in 1982.
Ryan won almost half of his 300+ wins after the 1982 campaign with the Houston Astros. The fireballer remained a strikeout king, putting together 2,465 strikeouts in those final 12 seasons, the second-most in MLB history by pitchers over 35. He led the entire MLB in strikeouts across four different seasons and recorded 200+ punchouts in seven. Ryan earned All-Star honors in 1982 with a 301 strikeout season at the age of 42.
In these final 12 seasons, Ryan pitched to a 3.31 ERA while striking out close to 10 batters per nine innings. He called it quits after the 1993 season at age 46 and was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1999 with 491/497 ballot votes.