1970 Topps baseball card of former major league pitcher Nolan Ryan. Ryan is currently in the headlines as a majority owner of the surprising Texas Rangers, who advanced to the first World Series in franchise history over the weekend. Ryan broke into the majors with the New York Mets in 1966, and his playing career spanned 27 seasons. He was part of The Amazin’ Mets 1969 World Series winning team early in his career, although he battled blister problems on his throwing hand that limited his appearances. Ryan threw more no-hitters – seven – than any pitcher in major league history, and also tossed 12 one-hitters. “The Ryan Express”, one of the hardest throwing right-handers ever, is baseball’s all-time career strikeout leader. Ryan also spent time with the California Angels, Houston Astros and the Rangers, and despite the quality of his stuff, had a career won-loss record that was just above .500, and never won a Cy Young Award. He was an eight-time All Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.