Most people don’t remember Rickey Henderson as the 5,000th hitter Nolan Ryan struck out, but he was just that on Aug. 22, 1989.

On his patented 96 mph fastball, Ryan caught Henderson swinging. He struck out 13 hitters in the 2-0 loss to the Athletics.

Ryan, the principal owner, president and CEO of the Rangers, finished his career with 5,714 strikeouts, a major league record.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-By Chris R. Vaccaro

As if Philip Humber’s perfect game last month wasn’t enough baseball history to start the 2012 season, Jered Weaver went and pitched a gem, recording the 10th no-hitter in Angels history on Wednesday, May 2.

Backed by the support of his team, who put up 15 hits in the victory, Weaver’s only gaff on an otherwise perfect night was a walk to Josh Willingham in the seventh inning.

Weaver did strike out nine batters, and according to the Angels, started ahead on 16 of the hitters he faced.

Here are some things you might not have heard in relation to Weaver’s no-no:

• Weaver threw the 274th no-hitter in MLB history
• Weaver is the 16th player to have a last name that starts with “W” throw a no-hitter
• Weaver is the fifth person to no-hit the Twins, including Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, Nolan Ryan and David Wells
• Weaver is the second player in history to throw a no-hitter on May 2, joining Fred Toney, who pitched his with the Reds in 1917
• Weaver’s game was the seventh no-hitter to come with a 9-0 final score, dating back to the first no-hitter thrown July 28, 1875

Here’s a look at the complete list of Angels no-hitters (graphic from Angels/MLB):

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today.

-Chris R. Vaccaro

On April 24, 1962, Sandy Koufax tied a record with 18 strikeouts in a 10-2 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Koufax, who also struck out 18 against the Giants in 1959, shared the record with Indians pitcher Bob Feller, who struck out 18 in 1938 against the Tigers.

Of course, Roger Clemens (1986 and 1996) and Kerry Wood (2001) both went on to strikeout 20 batters in a game to share the record that stands today.

Other players also reached the 19 strikeout plateau after Koufax, including Randy Johnson (2x), David Cone, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today.

-Chris R. Vaccaro