TAMPA, Fla. --- New York Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi grew up in Alvin, Texas, which is the home of the all-time strikeout king, Nolan Ryan. If you grow up in Alvin, there is little choice but to be inundated with all things Ryan Express, beginning with the Expressway that bears his name.
Most children grow up wanting to be the next Nolan Ryan, few even come close. Eovaldi, 26, is not the next Ryan, but he is a vital member of the Yankees' rotation.
In 2015, his first year in the Bronx, he finished 14-3 with a 4.