05/15/2026
With the heaviest of hearts, we announce the death of Abilene Firefighter - Hunter Patterson. FF Patterson and his friend Brett Underwood, were involved in an off-duty, fatal vehicle accident early this morning, Friday, May 15, 2026. Both men passed away.
This is a devastating loss for Hunter’s family and our department. Hunter was a respected and beloved member of the AFD for 11 years. Hunter leaves behind his wife and children, as well as numerous other family members and friends. The loss of both men has greatly impacted members of our department. We ask that our wonderful community keep both families in their thoughts and prayers, while also respecting their privacy at this difficult time.
05/15/2026
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May 1, 1991. Arlington Stadium, Texas. Nolan Ryan told his manager he felt terrible. Stress fracture in his lower back. Heel pain. Only four days’ rest. He expected to last maybe one inning on Arlington Appreciation Night. He didn’t want to let the hometown fans down.
Then he threw the first pitch. 94 miles per hour. The second? 95. The bullpen phone went silent. No one needed to warm up.
What happened next left 33,000 fans in total disbelief. The Toronto Blue Jays, the best-hitting team in baseball, couldn’t touch him. His fastball still had life. His curveball fell off the table. Inning after inning, batters walked back to the dugout shaking their heads while Ryan kept dealing.
By the ninth, the crowd knew they were watching history. With the final out on the line, up stepped Roberto Alomar. Twenty years earlier, as a little boy, Alomar had learned how to throw a baseball from Nolan Ryan himself when their fathers were teammates. Now the student faced the master for baseball immortality.
The count went to 2-2. Ryan wound up and fired. Alomar swung and missed. Strike three.
Nolan Ryan had thrown his seventh no-hitter. No pitcher in history has more than four. He went the full nine innings, struck out 16, and threw 122 pitches on a broken back at 44 years and 90 days old. His teammates carried him off the field on their shoulders.
After the game, Ryan didn’t brag about the record. He simply said it meant the most because it was for the Arlington fans.
He retired in 1993 holding the all-time strikeout record at 5,714, a mark that still stands today, nearly 900 ahead of the next closest pitcher. Seven no-hitters. A legend who refused the limits everyone else accepted.
Modern baseball protects pitchers with pitch counts and load management. Nolan Ryan never believed in that. He pitched with fire, heart, and pure grit.
The greatest moments don’t happen when everything feels perfect. They happen when every reason to quit is staring you in the face, and you still toe the rubber anyway.
There will never be another Nolan Ryan.
~The History Today
