Did Richard J.R., An amazing thing, possess the ability to throw a baseball really hard? Oh, I failed to mention that his particular pitch, the slider, was regularly gunned in triple-digit mph and occasionally reached more than 103 mph. One of Richard’s pitches was once clocked at 98 mph per hour.
He didn’t realize how much the communities surrounding him and his parents meant to him for a long time. Richard Rodney James figured out that he enjoyed sports for a long time as well. Lizzie and Clayton, our lord’s parents, gave birth to him on March 7th, 1950.
Basketball and baseball were the two sports that rapidly demonstrated Richard’s athletic talents.
Can you imagine being a pitcher and not allowing a single run throughout your senior year, and never losing a high school game for your entire career, despite your opponent’s crushing defeat of 48-0, while also contributing to your team’s success by pitching and hitting four consecutive home runs in the same game?
He turned them down flat. Richard was offered scholarships from nearly every elite college program in the country, which shows his basketball prowess.
Instead, he would accept an offer from the Houston Astros to pursue a career in professional baseball.
In 1969, the Astros chose him as the second overall pick in baseball’s amateur draft, captivated by Richard’s impressive performance in high school, as well as his physical attributes (Richard measured 6’8” tall and weighed 220 pounds during his final year in high school).
Richard, like many other young pitchers, quickly accumulated strikeouts while also gaining control and improving his mechanics. He spent the better part of the next two years toiling in the minors.
Richard had his first appearance in Major League Baseball with the Astros on September 6, 1971 at the young age of 21.
In opposition to the San Francisco Giants, a team that consisted of Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Bobby Bonds, he was requested to assume the pitching position for the second game of a twin bill.
Richard, a rookie pitcher, made his debut by setting a new record for strikeouts at the age of 17. He not only tied the previous record but also won the game by striking out 15 Giants players, including Willie Mays thrice.
After Richard’s promising first appearance, he found himself once again dealing with issues regarding control.
Over the course of the next five and a half seasons, he ultimately established himself as a permanent member of the Astros’ pitching staff, alternating between the major and minor leagues until 1975.
Richard became a strikeout machine, winning 18 games in 1977, 20 games in 1976, and single-handedly winning the title for the most strikeouts in a season in 1979 and 1978, with 313 and 303 batters respectively. He achieved this feat by effectively using his equally powerful slider and blistering fastball.
Richard was named to his first All-Star Game in the 1980 season, where he had an ERA of 1.96, 110 strikeouts, 10 victories, and three straight complete-game shutouts. He was in top form before the break, with a flat-out gas-out performance.
Richard, experiencing soreness in his back and shoulder, was limited to pitching only two innings in the All-Star game, which raised concerns about his condition.
The investigative stance of the Houston Astros organization, along with that of the media, intensified as Richard’s grievances of lightheadedness, hazy eyesight, and arm “numbness” did.
Speculations of a careless demeanor, substance abuse, and even envy towards Nolan Ryan started to circulate.
Richard exclaimed, “They are discussing my alleged deception, even though I have consistently pitched for five consecutive years without any missed starts. What truly irritates me is their continuous chatter about my supposed faking!”
Because of his impaired eyesight, Richard was substituted in the fourth inning as he couldn’t discern his catcher’s signals; subsequent to the All-Star Game, he only had one opportunity to pitch against the Atlanta Braves.
The Astros reacted by placing Richard on the 21-day disabled roster.
Richard still doubts the hesitation on the Astros’ side.
Why wasn’t I taken to the hospital if I really saw what was wrong and meant so much to Houston Astros?
Richard suffered a stroke and collapsed while playing catch in the outfield before a game on July 30, 1980.
A few hours later, life-saving emergency surgery restored blood circulation to his brain. The major arteries on the right side of Richard’s neck had experienced complete restriction of blood flow.
In addition to his condition, Richard was diagnosed with arterial thoracic outlet syndrome. Furthermore, his right arm continued to experience arterial blockages, compounding the problem was the discovery of him having endured no fewer than three strokes.
In summary, he could initiate a game feeling good, but the constriction of blood vessels would ultimately result in the arm becoming numb.
Richard was prepared to once again take the mound in the major leagues following a nearly full recuperation, another period of time in the minor leagues, and two years of therapeutic treatment.
However, destiny would once again reveal its unpleasant face.
There were complications arising from the surgery performed in 1980. By 1983, he experienced intense pain in his right calf.
Originally, a synthetic replacement artery had been placed in his neck to bypass a collapsed section of his leg artery, which necessitated an emergency surgical procedure. The artery was harvested from his calf and used as a substitute in his leg.
Doctors now informed Richard that the likelihood of additional complications was so significant, that resuming pitching was completely ruled out.
It was also evident to many that Richard’s physical prowess had declined.
The Astros let go of Richard in the spring of 1984, and the decline of J.R. Richard’s life went into high gear.
In the winter of 1994, Richard was discovered residing beneath a Houston freeway underpass, having experienced homelessness, enduring two divorces, and suffering significant financial losses due to poor business investments.
Meet Reverend Floyd Lewis from the New Testament Church located in South Houston.
With the assistance, direction, and comprehension of Lewis, along with a profound belief in God, Richard successfully conquered homelessness and hopelessness.
Richard and Lewis, who now spend countless hours mentoring youth and helping the homeless in the church, have become ministers themselves, with Richard dedicating his time to being a guiding figure in the community.
Richard is also involved in raising funds to help establish youth baseball leagues around the city of Houston. He firmly believes that kids who are playing baseball won’t join gangs.
“The 12 Black Aces” is the exclusive club known as, of his many accomplishments, one of them he is most proud of.
The team consists of the 12 African-American pitchers who have attained 20 or more wins in a solitary season.
Other members of the group consist of Don Newcombe, Bob Gibson, Vida Blue, and the group’s founder, James Timothy “Mudcat” Grant.
Despite all the hardships the man has faced, he does not focus on the negative events that have occurred to him.
Richard expressed, “I feel compelled to venture forward and explore what lies ahead, despite the uncertainties and challenges that may arise. Reflecting on my past experiences, I realize that dwelling on what could have been accomplishes nothing productive. Instead, I am determined to seize the opportunity to move forward and make the most of my life.”