World Famous Comics: Cooperstown Series 3 Nolan Ryan: California Angels Jersey (Blue Hat with Red Brim)
Cooperstown Series 3 Nolan Ryan: California Angels Jersey (Blue Hat with Red Brim)
From: Toys - not a real vendor (test account) Average Rating: Binding: Toy Feature: Cooperstown Series 3 Nolan Ryan: California Angels Jersey (Blue Hat with Red Brim) Label: Toys - not a real vendor (test account) Release Date: September 08, 2006
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Cooperstown Series 3 Nolan Ryan: California Angels Jersey (Blue Hat with Red Brim)
Product Description: After five seasons bouncing between the starting rotation and the bullpen, Nolan Ryan was sent (along with three other players) to the California Angels in exchange for Jim Fregosi. He spent eight seasons in Anaheim, winning more games and striking out more batters as an Angel than as a Met, Astro or Ranger. The "Ryan Express" racked up the first four of his record seven career no-hitters while wearing the halo. Fans in Texas hold Nolan Ryan close to their hearts, as a homegrown gunslinger who turned in great seasons in Houston and Texas, but Nolan Ryan's best baseball was played as a California Angel.
Nolan Ryan is already up to his second figure in the Cooperstown Collection McFarlane Toys is only up to Series 3 in the Cooperstown Collection of 6-inch action figures of some of baseball's greatest stars of yesterday, and Nolan Ryan is already up to his second edition. His first figure was part of Series 1, and showed him in the home uniform of the Texas Rangers, his left knee up in his chest as he got ready to throw a pitch (presumably a fastball in the high 90s). This figure shows the all-time strikeout king in the road uniform of the California Angels, following through on a pitch (presumably a fastball in the low 100s). So between the two figures you would have the long (or tall) and the short of Nolan Ryan.
Ryan was traded to the Angels from the New York Mets for Jim Fregosi and pitched for eight seasons in California, from 1972 to 1979. However, this figure would have to represent Ryan from 1975 or later because that is when the Angels started wearing the red cleats you see on this figure. Too bad, because his best seasons with the Angels were 1973, when he went 21-16 with a single-season record 383 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA, and 1974, when he was 22-16, 367 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA. He threw first two no-hitters in 1973 and his third in 1974, and those were also the only two seasons Ryan won over 20 games, which is amazing when you consider he ends up with over 300 wins. Of course, that becomes easier to do when you pitch 27 seasons and all I have to say is that whoever taught young pitchers in the Mets farm system how to strengthen their legs to prolong their career did a fantastic job with Ryan (27 seasons to age 46), Tom Seaver (22 seasons to age 41) and Jerry Koosman (19 seasons to age 42). Seaver or somebody must have passed this information along to Roger Clemens. The only reason Ryan retired was because at the age of 46 he had his first season in ten years when he did not average over a strikeout an inning.
The sculpt of Ryan's face is pretty good and as always the attention to details on the uniform are great. The figure has limited articulation, but basically you want it to look like what you see here. For me the key detail is how relaxed Ryan's right hand looks now that he has released the ball, like he had just whipped the ball by somebody for one of his 5,714 strikeouts. He threw seven no-hitters (this could not be from his 1974 no-hitter because he pitched that at home against the Baltimore Orioles and not on the road), and another 12 one-hitters. What new record about the Ryan Express did I learn today? He is the only pitcher to strike out the side on nine pitches in both Leagues, not that this surprises anyone. But you look at his record and you wonder what he would have done if he had played for better teams, because he had a career ERA of 3.19 to go along with all those strikeouts. Nolan Ryan is to the last quarter of the 20th century what Walter Johnson was to the first quarter: a great pitcher despite being on teams that were not great. That is why he is popular enough to already be on his second Cooperstown Collection figure.
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