OTD in 1985: Nolan Ryan Became the 1st Pitcher to Reach 4,000 Ks

July 11, 1985: #Astros SP Nolan Ryan became the 1st pitcher to record 4,000 career Ks in MLB history after striking out 11 NY Mets over 7 IP in a 4-3 victory. Ryan finished his career with 5,714 Ks which will stand as the MLB record for a long time
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— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) July 11, 2021

Nolan Ryan is forever recognized as one of the most feared pitchers in MLB history. As mentioned previously on July 4th, the Ryan Express became a member of a very exclusive club when he racked up 3K career strikeouts. Just five years later, he started a club of his own. In 1985, Ryan struck out 11 Mets hitters en route to becoming the very first pitcher ever to reach the 4,000 K milestone. 

Since that point, only three other pitchers have managed to earn membership into the exclusive group. They are Arizona D-Backs SP Randy Johnson (4,875) in 2004, New York Yankees SP Roger Clemens (4,627) in 2003, and Philadelphia Phillies SP Steve Carlton (4,136) in 1986. As impressive as 4,000 strikeouts is, Nolan Ryan went on to create yet another club as a Texas Ranger in 1989 when he recorded his 5,000 career strikeout. Ryan ended his career with the strikeout record at 5,714 total which won’t be passed anytime soon. 

July 4, 1980: Houston #Astros SP Nolan Ryan became just the 4th pitcher to record 3,000 career Ks in MLB history. Ryan ended his 27-year career with 5,714 Ks that still stands as the all-time MLB record
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— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) July 5, 2021

April 27, 1983: Houston Astros SP Nolan Ryan broke Walter Johnson's all-time MLB record for Ks with his 3,509th. Ryan still owns the record with 5,714
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— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 27, 2021