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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'

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

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 (left) teamed with Nolan Ryan (right) to form one of MLB's best pitching tandemsormer Astro pitcher J.R. Richard throws out a ceremonial first pitch before the Houston Astros played the Cincinnati Reds on June 1, 2012 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas

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

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

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. 

'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)

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)

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