RECORD RIVALS

Nolan Ryan never knew Steve Carlton well, as if anyone did. Carlton didn't talk to rivals but wasn't particular. He didn't talk to anyone, certainly not the media. Not even his teammates, on occasion.

The image persists of Carlton half-grinning as his Philadelphia teammates celebrated their 1980 World Series championship standing at the training room door, ready to duck into his sanctuary should anyone dare approach.

Ryan and Carlton were peers but not a pair. Ryan is right-handed; Carlton's nickname was Lefty. Ryan has thrown a record seven no-hitters and never won a Cy Young Award. Carlton won a record-four Cy Youngs and never threw a no-hitter.

Of course, there are a few similarities. Claude Osteen, who coached both, said they were both devotees of preparation. Also, Carlton didn' t talk, and Ryan talks but doesn't say anything.

And then there was their great race of 1983.

Reporters were transfixed by Ryan's chase of Walter Johnson's 56- year-old career strikeout record of 3,508. Even Ryan, who hadn't heard of Johnson until he reached the major leagues, became interested when he got close. Osteen called it "a big thing for Carlton," who had his contract renegotiated that year to pay him $50,000 more than Ryan, the game's top-paid pitcher.

Johnson, for that matter, became moot in the race. He is no better than seventh now, behind Ryan, Carlton, Bert Blyleven, Tom Seaver, Don Sutton and Gaylord Perry. The story in 1983 was not who would break Johnson's record, but, rather, how many would.

"I never thought about it until I got to 3,000," Ryan said. "I considered myself close when I got to within 100. I was just hoping I would be first.

"I really felt like Carlton would end up leading. He said he wanted to pitch another 10 years."

And Ryan figured he would be doing good to make it through 1985.

Ryan went into the 1983 season 14 strikeouts from Johnson's record. Carlton was fourth, at 3,434 strikeouts, 60 behind Ryan. The difference meant little.

Carlton was a little more than two years Ryan's senior, 38 to 36. But Carlton was coming off a season in which he went 23-11 and struck out 286, matching his second-best career total. He also won the Cy Young Award and had his contract renegotiated. He made $1.15 million to Ryan's $1.1 million.

He was not as fortunate in 1983 as he had been the previous season, going 15-16. But he led the majors with 275 strikeouts. He was as good as he had ever been.

Like Ryan, he had a strong workout regimen. But his, under the guidance of former martial arts practitioner Gus Hoefling, was considerably more exotic.

He had missed only five starts in his 11 seasons with the Phillies going into 1983 and certainly seemed in shape to continue.

"I'll take Carlton," St. Louis outfielder Lonnie Smith said in 1983, placing his bet on the eventual strikeout king. "I think the way he does it, he can pitch 10 more years. He's very difficult to beat."

Carlton's best review, however, came from the man who may have been the game's greatest hitter.

"I think the guy in Philadelphia is the greatest lefthander I ever saw," Ted Williams said in 1983, "and I hit against some pretty good lefthanders. But this guy seems to have more of it together than anybody else."

Ryan, conversely, received credit in the early 1980s mostly for his improving control. He didn't walk as many batters as he once did, but he didn't strike out as many, either. He didn't think he would have as many strikeout chances as Carlton, either.

Ryan worked out of the Houston Astros' five-man starting pitching rotation, as compared to the Phillies' four-man staff. Ryan repeatedly noted the difference for reporters. He added that he gave Carlton a month's head start in 1983 because he had to go on the disabled list with prostate problems.

By the time Ryan made his 1983 debut on April 17, he already was being pressed about the record. He hadn't known much about it or Johnson until after the 1982 season, when he bought a Baseball Encyclopedia and looked up Johnson's record.

"I assume I'd heard his name, but I was never one who was into records," Ryan said. "He was so far removed. You didn't see film clips of him like you did of Babe Ruth."

Ryan first became acquainted when he was with the New York Mets. He was sitting in the dugout next to Tom Seaver, watching the Pittsburgh Pirates' Jim Bunning strike out the 2,500th batter of his career. Ryan had no idea of the relevance, nor even what was the strikeout record or who held it. Seaver gave him a quick history lesson.

Ryan had heard all he wanted by the spring of 1983. He was tired of the attention the record brought. Asked by a Dallas Morning News reporter in April 1983 where it would rank among his accomplishments, he said only third, behind the five no-hitters and his record 383 strikeouts in 1973.

He got the career record in his third start, on April 27 against the Expos in Montreal's Olympic Stadium. He needed five going into the game. He struck out Tim Blackwell in the eighth to tie the record. He broke it against the next batter, pinch-hitter Brad Mills, a 26- year-old outfielder playing what would be his last season in the majors.

Ryan threw him a curve on the outside corner with the count 1-2 and Mills, expecting a fastball, "vapor-locked," he said later.

"I started to go out for the mound," former Astros catcher Alan Ashby said, "but he was waving me off, going, `Gimme the ball.' To that point, he had never really acknowledged the records and stuff on the field. He didn't want to do it, but I went on ahead out to the mound."

Astros infielder Phil Garner joined them, and Ryan reluctantly tipped his cap to the crowd.

"It was just another rung on the ladder going up for him," said Ashby, who also caught Ryan's fifth no-hitter. "The biggest thing for him after that was to get away from the media a little bit."

Ryan was not much different from Carlton in that respect. Carlton, who never had been too free with his feelings, stopped talking to the media altogether in July 1979. He thought he had been misquoted and his privacy invaded.

He drew more attention than Ryan did in 1983. Besides the strikeout record, he recorded his 300th career victory on his last start of the season. He had scheduled a press briefing after the 300th victory to answer questions submitted previously to Harry Kalas, the Phillies' broadcaster. He backed out, however, telling club officials it would be too much of a distraction.

Carlton would not create any more distractions. He and Ryan would jockey back and forth with the strikeout lead until Ryan went ahead for good in 1984. Carlton went 13-7 in 1984, but his strikeouts declined to 163 after he injured his rotator cuff.

"The hitters started being able to recognize his slider," Osteen said. "When he was really tough, they couldn't tell it from the fastball. He would bury himself in the count, trying to get 'em to swing at the slider. But they just sat on his fastball."

And he didn't have one anymore. Over the next four seasons, Carlton would win only 16 games for five teams. He began talking to reporters again, but no one cared, anymore. The Minnesota Twins released him in 1988, at 43, after four appearances, all but one in relief. His ERA was 16.76.

"I saw a lot of players I thought stayed too long," Ryan said, describing one of his worst fears. "Their abilities had deteriorated, whether it was a great outfielder whose legs were gone or a power pitcher who couldn't throw anymore and was trying some sort of trick pitches to get by."

The outfielder was Willie Mays. The pitcher was Steve Carlton.

"He was dominant in his time," Ryan said, as if he were speaking of someone from long, long ago.