Fans of the Boston Red Sox know Brad Mills as manager Terry Francona's bench coach, but his real place in baseball history was assured 25 years ago today, when he served as a part-time player for the Montreal Expos (remember them)?

It was on April 27, 1983, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal that Mills whiffed on a high heater to become strikeout victim No. 3,509 for Nolan Ryan, then pitching for the Houston Astros.

That K vaulted Ryan past Walter Johnson, who had held the major league career strikeout record since 1927. From there, the Ryan Express rolled on to a record that we easily can say will never be topped - 5,714 career strikeouts.