By Jonah Sharf
On September 26, 1981, the legendary Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros pitched a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking the fifth no-hitter of his career, passing fellow pitching legend Sandy Koufax for most no-hitters in a career. Ryan would finish with an unprecedented seven no-hitters when he retired. In addition to no-hitters, Ryan holds the record for most career strikeouts as well. Ryan holds these records in part because of his longevity—he played in the major leagues over four different decades for a record 27 seasons—which is not to take away from his talent. Ryan was an eight-time All-Star, World Series champion, and led the league in strikeouts for 11 seasons. Ryan was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and had his number retired with three different teams.