J. R. Richard

Did You Know?

• Richard never lost a game he started during his high school career at Lincoln High School in Ruston, Louisiana.
• In one high school game, Richard hit four consecutive home runs while pitching his team to a 48–0 victory against Jonesboro's Jackson High School.
• After baseball, Richard was drafted into the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989 and played for the Orlando Juice but was cut in preseason play.

Early major league career

J. R. Richard joined the Houston Astros as a September call-up in 1971. He made his big league debut on September 5 at age 21, starting the second game of a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants. Relying on his fastball and slider, Richard earned the win and matched Karl Spooner’s 17-year-old record by striking out 15 batters in his first major league start. He gave up two earned runs and seven hits in the Astros’ 5–3 victory, fanning Willie Mays and Dick Dietz three times apiece.

Five days later, Richard started against the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed a lead-off home run to Pete Rose in the first inning and finished with five innings of two-hit, one-run ball, striking out five but walking six. His next two outings were tougher. On September 16, facing the Atlanta Braves, he worked seven innings, surrendering four runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts and four walks, and uncorked two wild pitches.

In his final start of the season, back against the Giants, Richard was pulled in the first inning after facing just four batters.

Mainstay with the Astros

The Astros went into 1975 without Claude Osteen, traded to the Cardinals, and Don Wilson, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning that January. J.R. Richard became the third starter behind Larry Dierker and Dave Roberts. His first start, on April 9 against the Braves, ended early when he jammed his toe on first base, but he allowed no earned runs. Control was a problem: he walked eight batters in each of his third and fourth starts.

He threw a complete-game win against the Padres on April 29, then walked a career-high 11 in six innings while giving up seven runs in a 12-8 win over the Giants. At the All-Star break, he was 6-4 with a 4.93 ERA over just over 98 innings. On August 10, he gave up one hit in six innings against the Pirates but walked 10. Eight days later, he shut out the Mets.

He closed the season strong, winning three of his last four starts, including two against the Dodgers. His final record was 12-10 for an Astros team that went 64-97, a franchise worst. Richard was the only starter with a winning record. He led the team with 176 strikeouts, fifth in the National League, and also led the league in walks (138) and wild pitches (20).

Middle years

J. R. Richard kicked off the 1977 campaign with a strong outing on April 8, tossing a complete nine-inning game against the Atlanta Braves while striking out seven. Over the first half of the season, he racked up seven complete-game victories. By the All-Star break, his record stood at nine wins and six losses across more than 160 innings, with 119 strikeouts and a 2.69 ERA. He hit a rough patch in July and early August, but from August 27 through September 17, Richard turned in three complete games in five starts, two of which were shutouts.

In the last two outings of that stretch, he fanned 11 and 10 batters, respectively. He finished the year with back-to-back complete games: one on September 27 against the Braves and another on October 2 versus the Dodgers. In that final start, he struck out a season-high 14 batters, matching Steve Carlton’s top mark for the year. Richard won nine of his last twelve decisions.

For the season, he led the Astros’ pitching staff in wins, starts, complete games, innings pitched, walks, and strikeouts. His final line: 18 wins, 12 losses, 267 innings, a 2.97 ERA, and 214 strikeouts. For the first time since joining the rotation full-time, he did not lead the league in walks, but he did top the majors in wild pitches again. He placed fourth in the league with 13 complete games and played error-free defense all year.

At the plate, he hit 20-for-87 with two triples, two home runs, and seven RBIs. After the season, Richard had an emergency appendectomy on October 26 in Houston. He spent much of the offseason working out at the Astrodome and relaxing by fishing. In early 1978, he competed in ABC’s Superstars event.

1980 season and stroke

By 1980, J. R. Richard had reached the top tier of major league pitchers, and the Houston Astros paired him with Nolan Ryan, a seven-time American League strikeout king who joined the team as a free agent. During the first half of that season, Richard was nearly impossible to hit. He opened with five consecutive wins, racking up 48 strikeouts—including games with 12 and 13—and an earned run average below 2.00. He earned National League Pitcher of the Month honors for April.

At one point, he fired three straight complete-game shutouts, two against the San Francisco Giants and one against the Chicago Cubs. By the All-Star break, his record stood at 10–4, with 115 strikeouts and a 1.96 ERA, earning him the starting nod for the National League on July 8. However, he lasted only two innings because of back and shoulder troubles. As the season wore on, Richard told team officials about a "dead arm" and pain in his shoulder and forearm, but his complaints were ignored.

Some reporters labeled him a whiner or a malingerer, pointing to his reputation for being moody. Others suggested he was jealous of Ryan's $4.5 million contract. On July 14, facing the Atlanta Braves, Richard pitched effectively and struck out the side in the second inning, but he struggled to read catcher Alan Ashby's signals and had trouble moving his arm. He exited in the fourth inning after throwing a fastball and feeling his right arm go completely numb; he could not even grip the ball. The Astros placed him on the 21-day disabled list, and he never pitched in another major league game.