J. R. Richard

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1980)

J. R. Richard was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1980 for the Houston Astros, a span of 10 seasons. Across 238 career appearances, he went 107-71 with a 3.15 ERA and 1,493 strikeouts. He also batted .168 with 10 home runs. J. R. Richard was an All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 38917.9.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 107–71
ERA 3.15
WHIP 1.24
SO 1,493
Pitcher PIV 38917.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'8" / 222 lb
Born
3/7/1950 in Vienna, LA, USA
Died
8/4/2021 in Houston, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1971-09-05
Last Game
1980-07-14
Awards
All-Star

Full name: James Rodney Richard

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Career Pitching Statistics

J. R. Richard — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
107 71 238 221 76 19 0 1606.0 1,227 562 73 770 1,493 3.15 38917.9

Career ERA 3.15 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 14.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

J. R. Richard Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1971 HOU NL 2 1 4 4 1 0 0 21.0 17 8 16 29 3.43 3.47 (+1%) 461.2
1972 HOU NL 1 0 4 1 0 0 0 6.0 10 9 8 8 13.50 — 0.0
1973 HOU NL 6 2 16 10 2 1 0 72.0 54 32 38 75 4.00 3.75 (-7%) 2333.7
1974 HOU NL 2 3 15 9 0 0 0 64.2 58 30 36 42 4.18 3.63 (-15%) 46.7
1975 HOU NL 12 10 33 31 7 1 0 203.0 178 99 138 176 4.39 3.71 (-18%) 1304.6
1976 HOU NL 20 15 39 39 14 3 0 291.0 221 89 151 214 2.75 3.51 (+22%) 994.7
1977 HOU NL 18 12 36 36 13 3 0 267.0 212 88 104 214 2.97 4.00 (+26%) 5763.8
1978 HOU NL 18 11 36 36 16 3 0 275.1 192 95 141 303 3.11 3.69 (+16%) 8570.8
1979 HOU NL 18 13 38 38 19 4 0 292.1 220 88 98 313 2.71 4.00 (+32%) 13920.3
1980 HOU NL 10 4 17 17 4 4 0 113.2 65 24 40 119 1.90 3.84 (+51%) 5522.1
Career · 10 seasons 107 71 238 221 76 19 0 1,606.0 1,227 562 770 1,493 3.15 — 38,918

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

J. R. Richard — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
239 552 39 93 10 3 10 50 2 4 181 .168 .176 .252 .428 -2,836

Career AVG .168 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 34.6% below league average.

Career OBP .176 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 45.5% below league average.

Career SLG .252 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 33.3% below league average.

Career OPS .428 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 38.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

J. R. Richard Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1971 HOU NL 4 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000 — — — — 0.0
1972 HOU NL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1973 HOU NL 16 28 2 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 12 .179 — — — — 0.0
1974 HOU NL 15 21 1 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 9 .143 — — — — 0.0
1975 HOU NL 33 74 4 15 6 0 1 13 0 1 29 .203 .257 (-21%) .327 (-35%) .374 (-13%) .701 (-23%) -297.7
1976 HOU NL 39 100 6 14 1 0 2 9 0 0 33 .140 .255 (-45%) .320 (-55%) .360 (-42%) .681 (-48%) -758.5
1977 HOU NL 36 87 10 20 0 2 2 7 1 1 28 .230 .264 (-13%) .329 (-25%) .401 (-14%) .730 (-19%) -282.7
1978 HOU NL 37 101 8 18 0 0 1 10 1 1 27 .178 .257 (-31%) .323 (-42%) .378 (-45%) .702 (-44%) -687.5
1979 HOU NL 38 95 6 12 1 1 2 6 0 1 24 .126 .265 (-52%) .329 (-59%) .397 (-44%) .727 (-51%) -809.4
1980 HOU NL 17 39 2 6 2 0 1 3 0 0 15 .154 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 239 552 39 93 10 3 10 50 2 4 181 .168 — — — — -2,836

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (477 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

J. R. Richard — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1162571749223.191
Away1232952244827.149

Pitching — Home / Away

J. R. Richard — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home116831.05822383707542.58
Away122774.26453244007393.76

Last 10 Games — Batting

J. R. Richard — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1980-07-14 HOUATLL 101100000
1980-07-03 HOUATLW 301000000
1980-06-28 HOUCINL 100000000
1980-06-17 HOUCHCW 311100000
1980-06-11 HOUCHCW 200000001
1980-06-06 HOUSFGW 300000001
1980-05-31 HOUSFGW 401000103
1980-05-26 HOUSDPW 100000000
1980-05-21 HOUNYNL 200000001
1980-05-16 HOUPHIL 200000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

J. R. Richard — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1980-07-14 HOUATL — 3.1100140
1980-07-03 HOUATL W 6.0322182
1980-06-28 HOUCIN L 3.1455410
1980-06-17 HOUCHC W 5.0211380
1980-06-11 HOUCHC W 9.0600380
1980-06-06 HOUSFG W 9.03000130
1980-05-31 HOUSFG W 9.0300260
1980-05-26 HOUSDP W 7.0510570
1980-05-21 HOUNYN L 7.0751320
1980-05-16 HOUPHI L 8.0632160

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

J. R. Richard — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 238 221 113 195 20 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

J. R. Richard — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1971 HOU P 4 4 1 3 0 0
1972 HOU P 4 1 0 2 0 1
1973 HOU P 16 10 5 3 1 0
1974 HOU P 15 9 5 5 0 0
1975 HOU P 33 31 8 19 1 0
1976 HOU P 39 39 19 39 10 2
1977 HOU P 36 36 26 44 0 2
1978 HOU P 36 36 29 38 3 0
1979 HOU P 38 38 14 32 5 0
1980 HOU P 17 17 6 10 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

J. R. Richard Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 238

Awards & Honors

J. R. Richard — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1980 Pitcher of the Month April
1979 Pitcher of the Month September
1978 Pitcher of the Month July
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-05-19

Award Voting History

J. R. Richard — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1979 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 41.0 120 4
1979 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 12.0 336 0
1978 Cy Young Award NL 4th 13.0 120 1
1976 Cy Young Award NL 7th 2.0 120 0
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 12.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

J. R. Richard (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jim Maloney
    134-84, 3.19 ERA
  2. 78
    Mario Soto
    100-92, 3.47 ERA
  3. 74
    Don Wilson
    104-92, 3.15 ERA
  4. 73
    Tim Lincecum
    110-89, 3.74 ERA
  5. 72
    Jose Rijo
    116-91, 3.24 ERA
  6. 71
    Sid Fernandez
    114-96, 3.36 ERA

Compare J. R. Richard

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Richard's closest peers by position and era.

vs Tom Seaver
vs Gaylord Perry
vs Steve Carlton
vs Bert Blyleven
vs Don Sutton
vs Fergie Jenkins

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

See J. R. Richard in Another Era

What would Richard's 1979 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate J. R. Richard's peak season across eras →

J. R. Richard: the record in brief

J. R. Richard played a first major league game on September 5, 1971 and a last one on July 14, 1980. Every season row on the page belongs to the Houston Astros, from 1971 through 1980. Richard, born on March 7, 1950, in Vienna, LA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Richard's listed size is 6 feet, 8 inches and 222 pounds. The bio records the death on August 4, 2021, in Houston, TX, USA. J. R. Richard was the playing name; the full given name is James Rodney.

Richard pitched in 238 games, starting 221, and finished with a 107-71 record and 3.15 ERA. Richard had 1,493 strikeouts, 76 complete games, and 19 shutouts. The leagues Richard pitched in allowed 3.69 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 14.7% better than average. The best win total was 20, in 1976. 1979 produced Richard's most strikeouts, 313.

Frequently Asked Questions about J. R. Richard

What years did J. R. Richard play?
J. R. Richard played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1980.
Was J. R. Richard a pitcher?
Yes. J. R. Richard pitched in the major leagues, recording 107 wins and 1493 strikeouts.
How many home runs did J. R. Richard hit?
J. R. Richard hit 10 career home runs with 93 hits.
What teams did J. R. Richard play for?
J. R. Richard played for one team, the Houston Astros (1971–1980).
Did J. R. Richard win a Cy Young Award?
No. J. R. Richard did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did J. R. Richard win?
J. R. Richard was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were J. R. Richard's career stats?
In 238 games, J. R. Richard went 107-71 with a 3.15 ERA, 1,493 strikeouts, and 1,606.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 93 hits and 10 home runs.
What position did J. R. Richard play?
J. R. Richard played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was J. R. Richard and how much did he weigh?
J. R. Richard was listed at 6 feet 8 inches and 222 pounds.
What was J. R. Richard's career ERA?
J. R. Richard finished with a 3.15 career ERA, going 107-71 with 1,493 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did J. R. Richard have?
J. R. Richard recorded 1,493 career strikeouts.
Is J. R. Richard in the Hall of Fame?
No. J. R. Richard has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did J. R. Richard make?
J. R. Richard was selected to 1 All-Star Game.