J. R. Richard

James Rodney Richard (March 7, 1950 – August 4, 2021) was a right-handed starting pitcher who spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the Houston Astros from 1971 to 1980. Selected by Houston with the second overall pick in the 1969 amateur draft, Richard became one of the premier pitchers in the National League from 1976 to 1980, leading the league twice in strikeouts, once in earned run average, and three times in hits allowed per nine innings. He won at least 18 games each season from 1976 to 1979 and was named an NL All-Star in 1980. His career ended abruptly on July 30, 1980, when he suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot in his neck while warming up before a game.