Nolan Ryan Documentary 'Facing Nolan' to Get Theatrical Release

After captivating audiences at the South by Southwest Film Festival earlier this year, the documentary Facing Nolan is headed to theater screens nationwide. Directed by Bradley Jackson, director of The Man Who Never Cried, Facing Nolan chronicles the iconic career of Baseball Hall of Famer, Nolan Ryan from his rise to fame in the late 1960's to his fireballing final years with the Texas Rangers.

Nolan Ryan was born in Refugio, Texas in 1947, one of six kids. He began playing amateur baseball at Alvin High School in the early 1960's. He was an immediate standout. In 1962, when Nolan was merely a sophomore in High School, a scout for the New York Mets saw him pitch and declared that Nolan had the best arm he'd ever seen. Nolan would go on to be drafted by the Mets in 1965.

Among the stories recounted in Facing Nolan was his role on the 1969 Miracle Mets. Nolan was a reliever at the time and pitched 3 key innings in game 3 of the World Series, helping the Mets take a 2 games to 1 lead over the vaunted Baltimore Orioles. The Mets won the 1969 World Series and despite his career carrying on for nearly 20 more seasons, it would be Nolan Ryan's only World Series appearance.

After being traded by the Mets in 1972 and landing in California with the Angels, Nolan Ryan began to build his reputation as one of the most fearsome and competitive pitchers of all time. Ryan's incredible fastball was one thing but his willingness to scare batters by nearly hitting them with his nearly 100 mile per hour speedball was what built his legend among fellow major leaguers.

During his 27 year baseball career, Nolan Ryan was a divisive figure. While everyone respected his talent and tenacity, many hitters who faced Ryan feared him and felt he was often too aggressive with his dangerous fastball. Few would ever state it out loud how much they disliked the Ryan Express but one who did became a bit of legend himself in the process.

In arguably the most famous moment of Nolan Ryan's 27 year career, Ryan repeatedly punched Robin Ventura in the head during a brawl. It was August 4th, 1993 in a game between Ryan's Texas Rangers and Ventura's Chicago White Sox. After years of batters putting up with Ryan's inside fastball, Ventura became one of the few to actually challenge Nolan Ryan back. It certainly did not go Ventura's way but he earned the admiration of many fellow ballplayers for being one guy who was unafraid to go after the legend.

Facing Nolan recounts this and many stories in Nolan Ryan's own voice. The famed pitcher gave many lengthy interviews to director Bradley Jackson about his legendary career, his Hall of Fame accomplishments, and his many, often one-sided rivalries from his time with the New York Mets, the California Angels, his time with the Houston Astros, and the end of his career with the Texas Rangers.

Among Nolan's peers appearing in Facing Nolan are former teammates Craig Biggio, Steve Buechele,, fellow hall of famers, George Brett, Rod Carew, Roger Clemens, Tom Grieve, Tom House, Randy Johnson, Pete Rose, Ivan Rodriguez, Bobby Valentine, Dave Winfield, and pitcher Bobby Witt. Among others, all of these players gave interviews regarding Ryan, his legend and his many, many accomplishments on his way to becoming the all time strikeout king.

Also appearing to pay tribute to Nolan Ryan in Facing Nolan is former President George W. Bush. Bush was the owner of the Texas Rangers for a time when Nolan Ryan was finishing his career in Major League Baseball. Before that Ryan had befriend George W. Bush's father, George H.W Bush while playing for the Houston Astros. Despite the appearance of George W. Bush, Facing Nolan is said to stick to baseball rather than politics.

Facing Nolan will debut in theaters on June 24th with a digital release on July 3rd from Utopia Entertainment.