James Rodney "J. R." Richard (born March 7, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Houston Astros. Richard was excellent in basketball and baseball in high school. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round of the 1969 amateur draft. He made his baseball debut on September 5, 1971, and pitched a complete game and had fifteen strikeouts. After that, he was one of the top pitchers in the National League, and in all of baseball. He led the league in many pitching categories. They include strikeouts, earned run average (ERA) and hits allowed per nine innings.