No-Hitter No. 7 Would Be a Vander Meer-acle

Nolan Ryan, whose sore back is not expected to keep him from making his scheduled start Saturday night against the Mariners in Seattle, has a chance to match Johnny Vander Meer’s 1938 feat of pitching consecutive no-hitters.

The Texas Rangers’ right-hander, who pitched his sixth no-hitter Monday night in Oakland, has followed each of those gems with a strong game:

--On May 19, 1973, after pitching a no-hitter for the Angels against the Kansas City Royals, Ryan pitched a four-hitter against the Rangers, striking out 12 in a 9-1 victory.

--On July 19, 1973, after pitching a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers, Ryan took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against Baltimore before the Orioles’ No. 9 batter, Mark Belanger, blooped a single into center field. Ryan gave up only two more hits and struck out 13, but lost, 3-1, after allowing two runs in the 11th inning.

--On April 7, 1975, in his first start of the season after pitching a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins in his last start of 1974, Ryan pitched a three-hitter against the Royals, striking out 12 in a 3-2 victory.

--On June 6, 1975, after pitching a no-hitter against the Orioles, Ryan took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers before 41-year-old Henry Aaron, making his first appearance at Anaheim Stadium, singled to center field. Ryan gave up only one other hit in a 6-0 victory and joked afterward: “Well, now Henry Aaron will have something to talk about when he looks back on his career.”

--On Oct. 1, 1981, after pitching a no-hitter for the Houston Astros against the Dodgers, Ryan gave up seven hits and struck out nine in an 8-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Lucky break: Ryan’s youngest son, Reese, 14, was in the dugout with his father Monday night at the Oakland Coliseum only because his broken right hand was in a cast, preventing him from pitching in a Colt League all-star game back home in Texas.

When he returned to his hotel after the game, Reese said he was greeted by his mother, Ruth, who asked him: “Aren’t you glad you broke your hand?”

Trivia time: Who holds the USC records for most kickoff returns and most kickoff-return yardage in a season?

Ten years ago: On June 15, 1980, Jack Nicklaus won the U.S. Open for the fourth time and became the first golfer to win the tournament twice on the same course, shooting a final-round, two-under-par 68 for a record 272 at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

The record still stands.

Wayne who?: While winning the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in seven seasons, the Edmonton Oilers earned about $4.2 million in ticket revenue during the playoffs, then announced plans to increase ticket prices by an average of $2.50 next season, which would bring in an additional $1.7 million if they match last season’s average attendance of 17,008.

Trivia answer: Lonnie White, who returned 29 kickoffs for 716 yards in 1986 and is now a staff writer for The Times.

Quotebook: Doug Collins, a TNT analyst and former coach of the Chicago Bulls, on the pressure to win as a coach in the NBA: “There are a lot of coaches who want to be announcers. But I don’t think many announcers want to be coaches again.”