Nolan Ryan got his 5,000th strikeout against Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics on August 22, 1989.

Quick scoop

  • Pitcher: Nolan Ryan.
  • Batter: Rickey Henderson.
  • Team at the time: Oakland Athletics for Henderson, Texas Rangers for Ryan.
  • What happened: Ryan struck Henderson out to become the first MLB pitcher to reach 5,000 career strikeouts.

Why it stands out

That moment is one of baseball’s most famous milestone strikeouts because both men were future Hall of Famers. Henderson even became part of the record book as the batter on the historic pitch.

Detail| Answer
---|---
5,000th strikeout batter| Rickey Henderson 1012
Date| August 22, 1989 1012
Ryan’s team| Texas Rangers 10
Henderson’s team| Oakland Athletics 1012

TL;DR: it was Rickey Henderson.