By Veronica An
Nolan Ryan became the highest paid athletes in MLB history when the Houston Astros signed him for a four-year, $4.5 million contract in 1979. Ryan began his professional career in 1966 with the New York Mets. It wasn’t until 1971 that he became a regular season pitcher after begin traded to the California Angels. He left the Angels with 138–121, a 3.07 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, with 1302 walks and 2416 strikeouts in 2181 innings over 288 starts and 156 complete games. Ryan is known for consistently throwing pitches over 100 miles per hour and holds a .204 career batting average. He also holds the record for throwing seven no-hitters throughout his 27-year career.