{"product_id":"1968-topps-177-mets-rookies-nolan-ryan-rookie-psa-nm-mt-8-5","title":"1968 Topps #177 Mets Rookies Nolan Ryan ROOKIE PSA NM-MT+ 8.5","description":"\u003cp data-section-id=\"1s2x468\" dir=\"auto\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"46\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2\" data-end=\"46\"\u003e1968 Topps #177 Mets Rookies Nolan Ryan ROOKIE PSA 8.5 - Before the Ryan Express Left the Station\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\" data-start=\"48\" data-end=\"582\"\u003eNothing about the \u003cstrong data-start=\"66\" data-end=\"98\"\u003e1968 Topps #177 Mets Rookies\u003c\/strong\u003e fully prepares you for what Nolan Ryan would eventually become. Sharing the card with fellow Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, the 21-year-old Ryan appears simply as another promising young arm in the New York organization. Yet this unassuming rookie card would become the cardboard beginning of one of baseball’s most extraordinary pitching careers—a man whose fastball, longevity, and strikeout totals eventually pushed the boundaries of what seemed possible from a Major League pitcher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\" data-start=\"584\" data-end=\"1197\"\u003eGraded \u003cstrong data-start=\"591\" data-end=\"609\"\u003ePSA NM-MT+ 8.5\u003c\/strong\u003e, this example reaches an impressive level for Ryan’s \u003cstrong data-start=\"663\" data-end=\"689\"\u003erecognized rookie card\u003c\/strong\u003e. The desirable half-grade places it squarely between PSA 8 and Mint 9, elevating one of the cornerstone baseball rookies of the 1960s. Ryan was still several years away from becoming “The Ryan Express” when this card appeared, and even his time with the Mets offered only glimpses of what was hiding inside that right arm. He would earn a World Series ring with New York in 1969, but his transformation into a generational force would come after his trade to the California Angels following the 1971 season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\" data-start=\"1199\" data-end=\"1874\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eOnce unleashed, Ryan produced numbers that remain almost difficult to comprehend. He struck out \u003cstrong data-start=\"1295\" data-end=\"1318\"\u003e383 batters in 1973\u003c\/strong\u003e, breaking Sandy Koufax’s modern single-season record, and ultimately finished with an untouchable \u003cstrong data-start=\"1417\" data-end=\"1444\"\u003e5,714 career strikeouts\u003c\/strong\u003e. He threw \u003cstrong data-start=\"1455\" data-end=\"1475\"\u003eseven no-hitters\u003c\/strong\u003e, recorded 324 victories, and pitched across an astonishing \u003cstrong data-start=\"1535\" data-end=\"1562\"\u003e27 Major League seasons\u003c\/strong\u003e, striking out his final batter at age 46. Ryan eventually became the first player to have his number retired by three different franchises.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hall of Fame Exchange","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67597898350901,"sku":null,"price":55000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0920\/7827\/6917\/files\/NolanRyanrookiefront.png?v=1790704008","url":"https:\/\/halloffameexchange.com\/products\/1968-topps-177-mets-rookies-nolan-ryan-rookie-psa-nm-mt-8-5","provider":"Hall of Fame Exchange","version":"1.0","type":"link"}