Even Strikeout King Nolan Ryan Is Tired Of All The Strikeouts

Nolan Ryan knows strikeouts. Now, he's getting tired of them.

“It has turned me off to the game," Ryan told told ESPN.

Keep in mind this is coming from MLB's all-time leader in strikeouts at 5,714. He also holds the record for no-hitters, pitching seven.

Meanwhile, there were already six shutouts in the first 50 games this season, threatening the all-time mark of eight. The lone time that happened? Try 1884.

Ryan referred to it as a "worrisome" trend, as it seems batters are beginning to show a willingness to strike out rather than trying to put the ball in play. In other words, hitters are increasingly taking a home-run-or-bust approach.

That's not all.

As Yahoo Sports explained, “Home runs are down from a record 1.39 per game in 2019 to 1.14 per game. In part that’s due to intentional changes made this season by MLB to ‘deaden’ the ball, which at less than three grams lighter, travels slightly less far.”

Ryan is a legend, but some of today's top pitchers are also struggling with the way thigs are going. That list includes Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.



Kershaw told reporters