Nolan Ryan

SEPTEMBER 9, 1987 — Hall-of-Fame hurler Nolan Ryan accumulated a jaw-dropping 5,714 strikeouts over the course of his Major League Baseball career, but on this day, while playing for the Houston Astros, Ryan collected his 4,500th. The milestone strikeout came in a meeting between Ryan’s Astros and the San Francisco Giants, which Ryan and his Club won, 4-2. Incredibly, Ryan managed to strike out 16 Giants batters over the course of his eight-inning stint on the mound.