Ryan Franklin
A journeyman pitcher who reinvented himself as a dominant closer, earning an All-Star nod and helping the Cardinals to a pennant.
Born 1973 (age 53)·American baseball player·Birthday: March 5·Generation X
Biography
Ryan Franklin's baseball career is a classic story of adaptation and late-career triumph. Born in 1973, the right-hander from Oklahoma spent his early years as a reliable, if unspectacular, starting pitcher, eating innings for the Seattle Mariners. His trajectory changed after a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in 2005, a setback that forced a professional reckoning. Franklin rebuilt his value as a reliever, and it was with the St. Louis Cardinals that he found his ultimate form. In 2009, handed the closer's role, he transformed into a control artist, saving 38 games with a minuscule 1.92 ERA and earning a surprise All-Star selection. He was a bedrock of the Cardinals' bullpen during their 2011 World Series championship season, though an injury sidelined him for the playoffs. Franklin's path—from starter to suspect to shutdown reliever—showcases the resilience required to carve out a 12-year major league tenure.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Ryan was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ryan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Ryan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected as a National League All-Star in 2009 as the closer for the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Recorded 38 saves in 2009, ranking among the league leaders that season.
- Pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals team that won the 2011 World Series.
- Had a 12-year MLB career as both a starter and reliever for four different teams.
Did You Know?
He was originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 23rd round of the 1992 amateur draft.
He threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout for the Mariners against the Expos in 2003.
After retiring, he took a front office role with the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
He is one of a small number of pitchers to have both a 15-win season as a starter and a 30-save season as a closer.
“I just wanted the ball. Give me the ball and let me compete.”
