![]() ![]() Houston opens its 2022 season on Thursday, April 7 on the road against the Angels. They have their sights set on another AL West crown and deep postseason run in 2022. The Astros, however, came up short against the Atlanta Braves in last year's Fall Classic. In 1995, Richard became eligible to receive his MLB pension, and he became involved with a local church and other community endeavors.The Houston Astros have won three of the last five American League pennants, again reaching the World Series in 2021. He was homeless in 19, and lived under a highway overpass in Houston. Richard spent one year on the Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 1.6 percent of the vote in 1985, and he was inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in 2019.įollowing his playing career, Richard lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a business scam, and also had to pay close to $1 million in a divorce settlement. He ranks among the franchise's top 10 in just about every meaningful pitching category, including innings (1,606), wins (107), strikeouts (1,493), and WAR (23.1). Richard attempted several comebacks from 1981-83 but never did make it back to the big leagues.īy any measure Richard is one of the greatest pitchers in Astros history. He missed time earlier in the season with a blockage in an artery that caused his arm to go numb. He also received MVP votes in 19.Īt age 30, Richard's career came to a premature end when he suffered a massive stroke during pregame warmups in the outfield in late July. Richard was an All-Star in 1981 and he finished top 10 in the Cy Young voting in 1976 (seventh), 1978 (fourth), and 1979 (third). 8Y7GaHIojr- Rob Friedman February 2, 2021 Richard is one of the last pitchers to post consecutive 300-strikeout seasons (303 in 1978 and 313 in 1979). Richard had a 3.01 ERA in over 1,400 innings those seasons, and during his peak from 1976-79, Richard pitched to a 2.88 ERA and averaged 18.5 wins with 261 strikeouts and more than 280 innings per season. From 1975-80, he was simply one of the best pitchers in baseball. It wasn't until 1974 that Richard joined the rotation full-time and stuck in the big leagues for good. The 15 strikeouts are tied with Karl Spooner for the most in an MLB debut. He reached the big leagues in 1971 and made a great first impression, striking out 15 batters in a complete game win over the Giants in his first MLB game on Sept. Richard, a right-handed pitcher, was raised in Louisiana and he turned down multiple college basketball scholarships offers to pursue baseball after the Astros selected him with the No. I send my condolences to his wife and kids". He was a great friend and a great teammate. When he was pitching, we knew that we were going to get a 'W.' I didn't get too many balls hit to me in the outfield when he pitched because he was so dominating. was one of my good friends," longtime Astros teammate Jose Cruz said in a statement. We send our heartfelt condolences to J.R.'s wife, Lula, his family, friends and countless fans and admirers." Sadly, his playing career was cut short by health issues, but his 10 years in an Astros uniform stand out as a decade of excellence. He stood shoulder to shoulder with club icons Larry Dierker, Joe Niekro and Nolan Ryan, to form a few of the best rotations in club history. will forever be remembered as an intimidating figure on the mound and as one of the greatest pitchers in club history. Richard," the Astros said in a statement. ![]() "Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons, J.R. Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports Richard passed away Wednesday night at a Houston hospital. Richard has passed away, the team announced Thursday. ![]()
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