Nolan Ryan Strikeouts Out his 5,000 batter August 22, 1989

On this day in Baseball History August 22, 1989: Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers becomes the first pitcher in major league history to register 5,000 career strikeouts.

His victim was fellow future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics who struck out in the top of the 5th inning. Ryan would finish the game with 13-strikeouts in a 2-0 loss. 

Ryan would go finish his career with a total of 5,714 strikeouts. Randy Johnson is next on the list with 4,875 strikeouts.

For video footage on Nolan Ryan reaching the 5000 strikeout plateau:

For Further Reading:

- Click Here to access the article 5, 000 K's for Ryan; Stadium erupts as he gets historic strikeout by Tracy Ringsolsby of the Dallas Morning News dated August 23, 1989

- Click Here to access the article Dissecting Nolan Ryan's One-of-a-Kind Legacy, 25 Years After 5,000th Strikeout By Zachary D. Rymer from the Bleacher Report website dated August 22, 2014

- Click Here to see Nolan Ryan's Strikeout Miletones