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JR Richard died in a Houston hospital at the age of 71 on Wednesday evening.
Richard was hospitalized last month with complications from COVID-19, according to a family member.
Jose Cruz, who was an Astros teammate with Richard for six seasons, said the Louisiana pitcher was a good friend of his.
“It’s very sad to hear,” said Cruz in a statement released by the Astros. “I have fond memories of JR. He was one of the greatest Astros of all time. When he pitched we knew we were going to get a ‘W’. I didn’t get too many bullets in the game. outfield when he pitched because he was so dominant. He was a great friend and a great teammate. I send my condolences to his wife and children. “
Richard, who was in the inaugural Astros Hall of Fame class in 2020, kicked off his 10 big-league seasons with the Astros before his career was cut short when he suffered a stroke while on the move. he was playing inside the Astrodome on July 30, 1980.
“He was one of the greatest pitchers we have ever had and probably would have been in the Hall of Fame if his career had not been cut short,” former Richard Astros teammate Enos Cabell said in a statement. press release published by the team. “On the mound he was devastating and intimidating. No one wanted to face him. The guys on the other team would say they were sick to avoid facing him. This is very sad news. We will miss him. . ”
Prior to the hit, Richard was one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers, leading the National League twice in strikeouts and once in ERA. He held the Astros strikeout record – he struck out 313 batters in 1979 – before Gerrit Cole beat him in 2019.
“Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons, JR Richard,” the Astros said in a statement. “JR will be forever remembered as an intimidating figure on the mound and as one of the greatest pitchers in club history. He stood side by side with club icons Larry Dierker, Joe Niekro and Nolan Ryan, to form some of the best rotations in club history. Unfortunately, his playing career was cut short by health issues, but his 10 years in the Astros’ uniform stand out as a decade of Excellence We extend our sincere condolences to JR’s wife Lula, family, friends and countless fans and admirers.
Richard, who started in the 1980 All-Star Game three weeks before stroke, is third on the team’s all-time strikeout list behind Nolan Ryan and Roy Oswalt and fifth in all-time strikeout history. the franchise in terms of wins.
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