Jay- I don't agree that Ryan was overrated. That would only be the case if baseball historians rated him one of the greatest pitchers ever, and he isn't in that category.
His 5714 strikeouts and 7 no-hitters are of course otherworldly, but his average winning percentage and so-so control hurt his overall career record.
What Ryan did have is the livest arm in baseball history. He lasted 27 years, which for a fastball pitcher seems impossible. There were many games in his career where he threw over 200 pitches (can you imagine that today?), and the only serious arm injury he ever had occurred on the last pitch he ever threw.
Ryan set strikeout records that will never be approached but I have never heard anyone say he was in the class of Johnson or Matty or even Koufax. So it's hard to say he was overrated.
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