Houstonist Legends: Nolan Ryan

The day was April 27, 1983. The location was Olympic Stadium in Montreal. 25 years ago today, Nolan Ryan struck out Expos pinch-hitter Brad Mills for his 3,509th of his career to break Walter Johnson's all-time strike out record.

1983 was an interesting year for the coveted mark. Phillies legend Steve Carlton wasn't too far behind Ryan for the race to the mark. Ryan would reach it first, but Carlton would pass Ryan on June 7 of that year as he made up ground while Ryan was on the disabled list. The lead would change 14 times in 1983 along with a tie, but at the end of the season, Carlton was ahead of the Ryan Express 3,709 to 3,667.

In 1984, the race was back on. Once again, the two pitching legends would exchange leads five times with a tie in the mix, but it was Ryan who lead at the end of the '84 season with 3,874 strike outs to Carlton's 3,872. In 1985, Ryan would never relinquish the title as Carlton faced a injury plagued season as Ryan tacked on 209 victims to the all-time list while Carlton could only settle for 48.

On July 11, 1985, Ryan became the first pitcher to 4,000 k's when he struck out Danny Heep of the New York Mets in front of 20,921 at the Astrodome. Ryan would go on to finish his career with Texas Rangers from 1989-1993 and he would finish with 5,714 strike outs, a mark that certainly will never be broken.

Notes: The closest active pitcher to Ryan's mark is 44-year old Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks with 4,636 strike outs. Roger Clemens is second on the list at 4,672.