Righty flame throwing righty starting pitcher J.R. Richard’s career was cut way too short but there was nothing he could do about it. On July 30th, 1980 while playing catch before a game Richard suffered a stroke and collapsed on the field. He was taken to the hospital and he underwent left-threatening surgery to remove a blood clot in his neck. He never pitched in the majors again which is a shame because he was just starting to hit his stride. In his last season in the majors (1980), Richard pitched in 17 games (all starts) for the Astros and he was 10-4 with a 1.90 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He only allowed 65 hits in 113 2/3 innings that season while whiffing 119 batters showing just how nasty his stuff was. That wasn’t the only year he pitched outstanding though. In his last five years of his career, Richard pitched in 166 games (all starts) in which he was 84-55 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Richard’s major league career ended at the age of 30. He finished his career having pitched in 238 games (221 starts) in which he was 107-71 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.