It wasn’t a no-hitter or a strikeout record, but it was vintage Nolan Ryan.

When Ryan shut out the Mets 3–0 on June 5, 1981, he added another line to his legend—just not the one fans usually celebrate. With only two walks, Ryan passed Early Wynn to become baseball’s all-time leader in career walks. The irony was classic Ryan: on a night he was dominant, control became the headline. By the end of his Hall of Fame career, Ryan had issued 2,795 walks—nearly 1,000 more than second-place Steve Carlton.

🕵️ Inside Today’s Original Newspaper Coverage:

  • Ryan extends a strikeout record he already held

  • Ryan jokingly credits umpires for giving him “more batters”

  • How a shutout turned into an unlikely career milestone

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