Nolan Ryan's 5,000th Strikeout

On August 22, 1989, forty-two-year-old Texas Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan struck out Oakland Athletics leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson, then the game's premier basestealer, to become the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to reach 5,000 career strikeouts.

Ryan was in his 23rd major league season, a career that began with the New York Mets in 1966 and had already included five no-hitters. He pitched four more years, adding a sixth and seventh no-hitter, before retiring in 1993 at age 46 with 5,714 career strikeouts, a record that remains unbroken by a wide margin.

Ryan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999 in his first year of eligibility.