Ryan recovering faster than anticipated

ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) -- Nolan Ryan is recovering well after a double bypass operation and should leave the hospital this week. <br><br>"The boss is doing good," said J.J. Gottsch, public relations

Wednesday, April 26th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) -- Nolan Ryan is recovering well after a double bypass operation and should leave the hospital this week.

"The boss is doing good," said J.J. Gottsch, public relations director for the minor league Round Rock Express, which Ryan owns. "He's recovering faster than they anticipated. He most likely will be out in the next couple of days."

Dr. Mark Felger, Ryan's heart surgeon, said in a statement that Ryan is "recovering uneventfully and should be home in the next day or two."

Ryan went to a Round Rock hospital after experiencing shortness of breath, tingling in his arms, and chest pains while walking around the stadium. He was moved to the Heart Hospital of Austin, where he was rushed into surgery. Tests revealed a near-total blockage in a main artery to his heart.

Doctors said Ryan had severe blockage in his left coronary artery, which supplies 75 percent of the blood to the heart. The blockage ranged from 50 percent to 90 percent because of spasms in the artery.

The usual recovery time for the operation is a week to 10 days.

Ryan, a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1999. He holds or shares 48 major league, American League or National League records including strikeouts with 5,714 and no-hitters with seven. He retired in 1993 with the Texas Rangers.

Ryan, his son Reid and Houston businessman Don Sanders purchased the Houston Astros' AA affiliate and this year moved it from Jackson, Miss., to a new, $25 million stadium located just north of Austin.