Ryan Has Bypass Surgery

Nolan Ryan underwent emergency double-bypass surgery Sunday at the Heart Hospital of Austin and is expected to be hospitalized for a week.

The Hall of Fame pitcher did not suffer a heart attack, Ranger spokesman John Blake said.

“Today was a total shock to our family,” said Ryan’s son, Reid, president of the double-A Texas League’s Round Rock Express which his dad owns.

“My dad has been in perfect health. The doctor told us that he has the heart of a 30-year-old. The fact is that his heart just wasn’t getting blood.”

Ryan, 53, experienced shortness of breath and chest pains about 9 a.m. after taking a morning walk with his wife, Ruth, at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. Ryan was there to watch a 2 p.m. game between the Express and the Midland RockHounds.

Ruth Ryan drove her husband to the Round Rock Medical Center, where doctors performed an electrocardiogram and blood tests.

He was then taken to the Heart Hospital of Austin, where an angiogram showed a substantial blockage of the left main coronary artery, according to J.J. Gottsch, an Express spokesman.

Dr. Mark Felger performed a double vessel bypass there at 3 p.m. Gottsch said the surgery was a success.