{{short description|American baseball player (born 1968)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{BLPrefimprove|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox baseball biography |image= |name=Ken Ryan |position=Pitcher |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1968|10|24}} |birth_place=Pawtucket, Rhode Island, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=August 31 |debutyear=1992 |debutteam=Boston Red Sox |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=May 15 |finalyear=1999 |finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Win–loss record |stat1value=14–16 |stat2label=Earned run average |stat2value=3.91 |stat3label=Strikeouts |stat3value=225 |teams= *Boston Red Sox ({{mlby|1992}}–{{mlby|1995}}) *Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1996}}–{{mlby|1999}}) |highlights= }} '''Kenneth Frederick Ryan, Jr.''' (born October 24, 1968), is an American former baseball pitcher. He played eight seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.
==Professional career== After graduating in 1986 from Seekonk High School in Seekonk, Massachusetts, Ryan was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Boston Red Sox. He received an $11,000 signing bonus, forgoing an offer to play college baseball for the Maine Black Bears.<ref name=":0" />
He worked his way through the Red Sox minor league system and made his MLB debut on August 31, 1992.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Mike |date=2009-03-03 |title=Whatever happened to: Ken Ryan |url=https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/archive/2009/03/03/whatever-happened-to-ken-ryan/38104486007/ |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Wicked Local |publisher=The Herald News}}</ref> Ryan spent the next three years splitting time between the Red Sox and the minors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McGair |first=Brendan |date=March 28, 2015 |title=Field of memories: Ken Ryan's connection to PawSox and McCoy are unlike any other |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-115269200 |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Minor League Baseball |publisher=Pawtucket Times |language=en}}</ref> He had a team-leading and career-high 13 saves in the strike-shortened 1994 season.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Ken Ryan Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ryanke01.shtml |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1994 Boston Red Sox Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1994.shtml |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>
On January 29, 1996, he was traded with Lee Tinsley and Glenn Murray to the Philadelphia Phillies for Heathcliff Slocumb, Larry Wimberly, and Rick Holifield. In 1996, he pitched in a career-high 62 MLB games, going 3–5 with 8 saves and a 2.43 ERA. He spent the next three seasons pitching for both the Phillies and their minor league affiliates.<ref name=":1" /> He last pitched in the majors on May 15, 1999, taking the loss after allowing one run in one inning.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ken Ryan 1999 Pitching Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=ryanke01&t=p&year=1999 |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He pitched in Triple-A until the Phillies released him on August 22.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ken Ryan |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/R/Pryank001.htm |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=Retrosheet}}</ref>
Ryan signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 26, 1999 He played for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds until the Pirates released him at the end of the season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ken Ryan Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=ryan--001ken |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>
During the 1999–2000 off-season, Ryan signed with the New York Yankees. He pitched four times for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. He spent most of the 2000 season pitching for the Nashua Pride of the independent Atlantic League. He collected 24 saves in 40 relief appearances and helped the Pride win the league title. Ryan then retired from professional baseball.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Ken Ryan - Baseball Stats |url=https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/17488/ |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=The Baseball Cube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Crossley |first=Drew |date=2011-08-10 |title=Nashua Pride |url=https://funwhileitlasted.net/2011/08/09/1998-2008-nashua-pride-baseball/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=Fun While It Lasted |language=en-US}}</ref>
After retiring, Ryan was a broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox in 2007 and the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox from 2012 to 2015.<ref name=":2" />
==Personal life== Ryan married Odalys Rodriguez in Lakeland, Florida in 1991. He currently lives in Seekonk, Massachusetts, with his wife and three daughters, Julia, Amanda, and Kelli Rose.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ryan Sr. |first1=Kenneth F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=odPuBwAAQBAJ&q=Tossing+Heat%3A+The+Ken+Ryan+Story&pg=PP1 |title=Tossing Heat: The Ken Ryan Story |date=March 31, 2015 |isbn=9781503551312 |accessdate=16 February 2017}}</ref>
Ryan is the owner of the KR Baseball Academy, an instructional facility for young players, in Lincoln, Rhode Island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Staff |url=https://www.krbaseball.com/staff-9 |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=KR Baseball Academy}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{baseballstats |mlb=121596 |espn= |br=r/ryanke01 |fangraphs=1011345 |brm=ryan--001ken}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Ken}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:Columbus Clippers players Category:Nashville Sounds players Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players Category:Winter Haven Red Sox players Category:Nashua Pride players Category:Sportspeople from Pawtucket, Rhode Island Category:Baseball players from Providence County, Rhode Island Category:Clearwater Phillies players Category:Elmira Pioneers players Category:Greensboro Hornets players Category:Lynchburg Red Sox players Category:New Britain Red Sox players Category:Reading Phillies players Category:Sarasota Red Sox players Category:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Category:Trenton Thunder players Category:20th-century American sportsmen