ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers CEO and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and new Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura chatted Friday for the first time since Ventura charged the mound after being hit by a Ryan pitch 19 years ago.

Ryan went over to the White Sox clubhouse before the game and wished Ventura good luck. Neither held any grudges over the Aug. 4, 1993, incident in Arlington, but they had never crossed paths since then.

Nolan Ryan, left, hadn't spoken with Robin Ventura since Ventura was hit by a pitch and charged the mound on Aug. 4, 1993. AP Photo/Linda Kaye

Ryan, seated beside former President George W. Bush in the owners' box near the dugout for Opening Day, said Thursday he had hoped to see Ventura.

"He was a very good player and very successful player," Ryan said Thursday. "It was just a reaction or response to the moment. He and I had no personal interaction prior to that night. There was nothing that precipitated it from something previously."

Ryan, then 46, hit Ventura, who was a 26-year-old with the White Sox. After taking four short steps toward first, Ventura dropped his bat, took off his helmet and sprinted toward the mound. Ryan came off the mound toward him, grabbed Ventura in a headlock and started punching.

Whenever the video is shown at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, it gets huge cheers. Ryan said Thursday the photo of him punching Ventura is one of the top three items he's asked to sign by fans.

Chuck Morgan, the Rangers' executive vice president of in-park entertainment, made the decision this offseason not to show the video of the fight while the White Sox are in town.