Andrew Heaney Weaves Way Into Texas Rangers Record Books With Nolan Ryan

Texas Rangers starter Andrew Heaney broke a franchise strikeout record held by Nolan Ryan for more than 30 years.

Anytime your name is linked to Nolan Ryan, it must be for a special reason.

Texas Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney bolted past the Hall of Famer with nine consecutive strikeouts between the first and fourth innings of an 11-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

The Rangers (6-4) and Royals (3-8) meet for the second game of the series Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. at Globe Life Field. Jacob deGrom (1-0) takes the hill for Texas.

Ryan, baseball's all-time leader in strikeouts, had held the previous Rangers record of seven straight punch-outs on July 7, 1991 against the then-California Angels.

Heaney also moved past Joe Barlow for most consecutive strikeouts in general over multiple games. Barlow had eight between July 24-Aug. 2, 2021.

This was an unexpected milestone for Heaney, who scuffled in his opening start against the Baltimore Orioles.

Heaney worked out of a jam in the first and then became locked in.

“It's obviously really cool, you know?” Heaney said of eclipsing Ryan’s record. “I don't think I need to say anything more about how great Nolan Ryan was. I mean, we all know that, everybody knows that. Just being mentioned with him is extremely humbling.”

Heaney, who had 10 strikeouts overall, tied the American League record for consecutive strikeouts in a game. That mark is also held by Detroit Tigers pitchers Doug Fister (2012) and Tyler Alexander (’20).

In addition, Heaney is the first Rangers left-hander to record at least 10 strikeouts since Mike Minor had 11 against the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 11, 2019.

None of this could have been expected after Heaney’s first outing when he gave up seven hits and seven runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Some adjustments with pitching coach Mike Maddux made a big difference.

“I was extremely ready to go,” Heaney said. “That obviously was not at all how I would draw up the first start here in Arlington. I felt like I owed it to the guys, owed it to the fans and owed it to myself to be better than what I was. … So I felt good.

“I felt prepared. It is a stark contrast between the first start and this one, so I can't sit here and say that I felt like I was gonna strike everybody out today or anything like that, but I definitely felt better about where I was and how I was feeling.”

Heaney mixed up his pitches beautifully and the Royals could never get comfortable with the array of fastballs, sliders and changeups. While Heaney threw mostly fastballs, he was very effective in the strike zone with sliders and changeups.

“He was (in the zone),” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I mean, he was right tonight, wasn’t he? He had really good stuff. Good on the fastball, good secondary pitches. He had logged some pitches in that first inning, but reset and just threw a beautiful game there.

“The last couple outings have been a little tough on him, but it shows what he's made of to come back and pitch a ballgame like that.”

Whether this carries over to the next start and beyond is very much unclear. But Heaney should be celebrated for simply having his name linked with Ryan, one of the most beloved players in the history of the franchise and a Texas state icon.

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