Astros pitching great J.R. Richard dies at age 71, three decades after his All-Star career was cut short by a stroke: Teammates honor 'dominating' competitor and a 'great friend'
- Astros pitching legend J.R. Richard died Wednesday at 71 in a Houston hospital
- The 6-foot-8 righty played with the club from 1971-80 before his career was cut short when he suffered a stroke while playing catch at the Astrodome at age 30
- Richard, a Louisiana native, was rushed to a hospital and had emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his neck, but never returned to baseball
- Richard was a 20-game winner in 1976, topped the National League in strikeouts twice and led the NL in ERA in 1979. He also started in the 1980 All-Star Game
- The Astros had one of baseball's best pitching rotations when he was in Houston
- Houston's other pitchers included Larry Dierker, Joe Niekro and Nolan Ryan
Houston Astros pitching legend J.R. Richard died Wednesday night at a Houston hospital at age 71.
The 6-foot-8 right-hander played with the club from 1971-80 before his career was cut short when he suffered a stroke while playing catch at the Astrodome at age 30. He was rushed to a hospital and had emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his neck, but never returned to baseball.
'He had the greatest stuff I have ever seen,' the late Hall of Famer Joe Morgan once said. 'It still gives me goose bumps to think of what he might have become.'
Houston Astros pitching legend J.R. Richard died Wednesday night at a Houston hospital at age 71. The 6-foot-8 right-hander played with the club from 1971-80
Richard (far left and right) teamed with Nolan Ryan (near left) to form one of MLB's best pitching tandems
Richard is sprawled out on the Astrodome turf on July 30, 1980 after collapsing following a short workout to test his troubled pitcher arm. Richard is tended by medical personnel
Astros Pitcher J.R. Richard is wheeled off the field of the Astrodome after suffering a stroke
Richard was a 20-game winner in 1976, topped the National League in strikeouts in 1978 and 1979 and led the NL in ERA in 1979.
'Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons, J.R. Richard. J.R. will forever be remembered as an intimidating figure on the mound and as one of the greatest pitchers in club history,' the team said in a news release.
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'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.
'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. We send our heartfelt condolences to J.R.'s wife, Lula, his family, friends and countless fans and admirers.'
Richard started in the 1980 All-Star Game, just three weeks before he had a stroke while playing catch at Houston's Astrodome on July 30.
He posted a 107-71 record with a 3.15 ERA and 19 shutouts and 76 complete games in 238 games (221 starts), striking out 1,493 batters in 1,606 innings. Richard, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1969 draft, ranks fifth in Astros history in wins and is third in strikeouts behind Ryan (1,866) and Roy Oswalt (1,593).
'J.R. was one of my good friends,' said longtime Astros outfielder Jose Cruz. 'This is very sad to hear. I have great memories of J.R. He was one of the greatest Astros ever.
'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. He was a great friend and a great teammate.'
In 2019, Richard was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame.
Richard posted a 107-71 record with a 3.15 ERA and 19 shutouts and 76 complete games in 238 games (221 starts), striking out 1,493 batters in 1,606 innings. Richard, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1969 draft, ranks fifth in Astros history in wins and is third in strikeouts behind Ryan (1,866) and Roy Oswalt (1,593)
