HOUSTON – Houston, the Ryan Express has landed... again.
The Houston Astros Tuesday named Hall of Famer and former Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan as the club's Executive Advisor. As part of his role, the team says Ryan will serve as an advisor to Astros owner Jim Crane, GM Jeff Luhnow and President of Business Operations Reid Ryan, who is Nolan's son.
Major League Baseball's all-time strikeout leader has over 45 seasons of experience in baseball as a player and executive.
"I'm very excited to be back with the Astros," Nolan Ryan said. "I'm happy to assist Jim, Jeff and Reid in any way I can. The Astros have a solid foundation with a strong farm system. I think the future is bright for Houston and I'm looking forward to my involvement."
Throughout his storied career, Ryan has achieved success in baseball both on and off the field. As a pitcher, he was one of the best ever, tallying 324 career wins in his Major League record 27-year career while establishing all-time records in strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters with seven (also threw 12 one-hitters). Midway through his career, Ryan, a native of nearby Alvin, TX, signed with the Astros prior to the 1980 season, and would pitch for nine seasons (1980-88) in Houston, his most for any club. Prior to his arrival, the Astros had not made the postseason in their history. However, in his nine seasons, Houston made the playoffs three times (1980, 1981, 1986), falling just shy of the NL Pennant in both 1980 and 1986. On July 25, 1999, Ryan was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in what was his first year of eligibility.
After retiring as a player following the 1993 season, Ryan worked in the Texas Rangers front office before returning to the Astros as Special Assistant to the General Manager in February of 2004. In his first two seasons back with Houston, the Astros enjoyed great success, falling one game shy of winning the NL Pennant in 2004 before capturing the pennant in 2005 to become the first team from Texas ever to play in a World Series.
In February of 2008, Ryan was named President of the Texas Rangers and would go on to play a pivotal role in the most successful run in that franchise's history, which included back-to-back appearances in the World Series (2010-11). The Rangers have seen a dramatic increase in attendance since 2008, which included reaching the 3.0 million mark for the first time in franchise history in each of the last two seasons (2012-13).
"We're extremely pleased to have Nolan as part of our organization," Crane commented. "We will use his experience, expertise and knowledge to improve the Astros in all areas. He will be an integral part of our management team. Nolan wants to be a part of our success moving forward."
Ryan will be in Spring Training camp in the upcoming weeks.