DALLAS (AP) -Nolan Ryan was hired Wednesday as president of the Texas Rangers, who brought back the Hall of Fame pitcher their fans once flocked to see.
In recent years, Ryan has been a consultant for the Houston Astros, another former team, and part owner of two Astros minor league clubs in Texas.
“The Ryan Express has come to town,” Rangers owner Tom Hicks said.
Ryan threw an unmatched seven no-hitters and won 324 games in a record 27 seasons. The last five of those were with the Rangers and included his final two no-hitters and his 5,000th strikeout.
The 61-year-old Ryan replaces Jeff Cogen, who was moved by Hicks to the Dallas Stars during a shake-up of his hockey team in November.
olding pitching camps.
Ryan’s return could help a franchise that has struggled to stay competitive in many of the seasons since he retired in 1993.
The Rangers have finished no better than third in the AL West since 2000, although the only three playoff appearances in franchise history came after he retired in 1993. Pitching has long been a frustration; the Rangers had the fewest strikeouts in the AL last season and their team ERA ranked in the bottom five.
Texas tried to bolster its rotation last month by signing free agent Jason Jennings, who grew up in Dallas watching Ryan pitch. But bringing Ryan into the front office is likely to stir the most excitement among Rangers fans, many of whom still revere the Texas native.
Some of Ryan’s best moments occurred in a Rangers uniform, including his 300th victory.
Even the image of Ryan putting Robin Ventura – 20 years younger than the aging pitcher – into a headlock after Ventura charged the mound in Ryan’s final season remains a favorite memory for Rangers fans.
This isn’t the first time Ryan has left the Astros for the Rangers. In 1988, he signed as a free agent after nine seasons in Houston.
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