The Heartbreaking Tragedy of JR Richard

#JRRichard #Astros #Retire50 #MLBtheShow
JR Richard was the best pitcher in MLB in 1980, and could've been the Jacob deGrom of the 1980s, but just over a decade after starting the All-Star Game for the Astros, he was homeless. Here's his story.
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Sources:
Epidemic Sound
The Last of Us II Soundtrack (Gustavo Santaolalla)
Sporting News
The Postgame
ABC News
Bleacher Report
Baseball Reference / Stathead
MLB
ESPN
‪@MKROXTON‬ (citi field drone)

[@panowa8319]

If the Astros would have taken J.R. Richards' health seriously, he probably could have had Hall of Fame career.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

100%, he was already halfway to the hall. Just needed a few more years at the top.

[@panowa8319]

@@AndThatsBaseball J.R. was fun to watch, then suddenly he just disappeared.

[@bryantlucas6006]

Was he a jerk or was the Astros front office just racists?

[@choosecarefully408]

Yeah, well you may run into stupidity like this again. I don't know what it's called, but White people simply think Blacks are more immune to or tolerant of pain than "normal" people. That's what I'm going to call this so long as people keep denying racism exists in this culture simply because we Use 'Correct Terms' for people that still refer to them as separate.

[@doublem1975x]

@@bryantlucas6006Front office and media were racist.

[@sailorjerry3720]

I was a bartender in Houston in the late nineties/early 00's at a pool hall and JR would stop by regularly to sip a beer and listen to old jazz on the jukebox. He had an enormous laugh and if you shook his hand yours would disappear. He was quiet most of the time and knew a lot about billiards and music. Miss seeing him.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I would’ve loved to have just one conversation with him.

[@johncortez1599]

Sailor Jerry, what pool hall buddy? I'm from Houston also.

[@je4292]

@@AndThatsBaseball like this man mentioned, I met him as a teenager growing up in Houston in the 90’s at a church bazaar. He was extremely friendly and kind. His hands were huge and when he shook your hand your hand just got swallowed up… It is an absolute disgrace the Astros have not retired his number…. Not cool at all… more deserving than Mike Scott in my opinion.. he was that good…

[@Boyso5407]

Can you imagine today a player this talented complaining of arms issues and being totally ignored? How could you not take care of your own player let alone your best pitcher. It’s insane to think how they treated him.

[@ogClownBaby]

Just goes to show the astros franchise has always been trash.

[@bobtaylor170]

Thanks for this. I'm from Houston, and remember this well. The Astros treatment of him was disgraceful, typical of why a lot of people hate the rich.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Glad you enjoyed

[@robertbluestein7800]

i was working in the dome as a clubhouse boy the day JR had his stroke. I am pictured in the Houston Post's story about the dreadful day along with paramedics, other clubhouse boys, and Willie Howard, a reserve OF who was on the DL. The Astros were not in the dome when this happened, but I was a 16 year old eyewitness to the kindness and great cajun culinary skills of JR Richard. He was terrifying to hit against. Greg Luzinski admitted he took days off when JR was pitching. I am writing a book, ''Clubhouse Brat'' about the years 1980-83 in the Astrodome. He was so genuine. Make no mistake, I loved Bill Virdon and he kept me in line when I could have gone very sideways as a teenager. But he was distant with some of the players and didn't know what to think of JR's shoulder woes and a lot of this had to do with the fact Nolan Ryan was signed at a $1M contract and was the THIRD best pitcher on that 1980 team. JR was indeed sore about that, having been loyal to the team for a decade. There's A LOT more to the story than we are told, and my memories of that magical time have a lot to do with JR Richard.

[@robertbluestein7800]

Oh, loved this piece but let me say JR WAS a warm, friendly and good soul. He would slip us kids a $20 here and there for doing small favors for him around the clubhouse. Énos Cabell saved JR after it was discovered that he was homeless and I’ll always love Cabell for his generosity. I can respect the fact that some thought it was due to racism but I just don’t recall that ever being an issue. Then again…I was 16, so perhaps it hadn’t been something I had seen. (I grew up in South Park Houston myself) The practice at the time is what hurt JR. Players went on the DL because they were obviously hurt or Asked to rest a muscle pull or so forth. JR never asked out of a start and Bill Virdon was visibly affected for the rest of his career. I talked with him in 2003 and he STILL dwelled on how he could have done things better.

[@christopherfields9785]

BS

[@starwarsbaseballboy1]

I met JR once as a kid. Couldn't have been kinder to me when I asked how his career ended because I didn't know or was at an age to fully comprehend everything so wonderfully explained in this video.

[@je4292]

Same here met him as a teenager in the 90’s. Was incredibly kind to me…

[@That_C-fo5ff]

Rest In Peace uncle 😥🙏🏽 miss you big guy.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

🙏

[@masoncotton2714]

He was my base all coach for fasb bo porter we all miss him💜

[@tommandich-je2tq]

Sorry for your loss.I really loved watching him pitch back in the day.

[@lonestarstate1981]

JR Richard is an Astros legend and I remember him and keep his memory alive.

[@chaffsalvo]

I grew up with the Astros through the 70s, and felt this tragedy for the Richards and the team keenly. The 1980 NLCS could have been so different. As the story was revealed, it fostered shame in the organization and love and hope for JR. Hopefully the Astros will honor him, albeit late, in some notable way. He's a huge part of the core that made Houston relevant in the late 70s.

[@Gemnist98]

They honored him in 2019 by inducting him into the inaugural class of the Astros Hall of Fame. He also attended the ceremony, so it’s clear that despite the big “what-ifs”, he was ultimately welcomed wholeheartedly by the Astros and vice versa.

[@avoiceinthechoir5791]

I always wondered what happened to JR Richard. I remember watching him pitch in the all-star game. Unquestionably, the best pitcher in baseball at the time. A very sad story and a forgotten great one.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

The worst part is how easy it would have been for the Astros to help him. Houston was the medical capital of the world, there were certainly hospitals that could have prevented the stroke.

[@bobtaylor170]

@@AndThatsBaseball , absolutely correct. And the Astrodome was just down the street from the Houston Medical Center. It infuriates me.

[@ClutchCityFan]

he was a legend. still gets talked about here in Houston. sucks his career was cut short

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I wish the world could’ve witnessed his level of peak dominance for at least a few full seasons

[@joshuapatrick682]

I’m from the part of Louisiana he went to high school, he should be the local legend Karl Malone is here…but I’ve never heard of him until today. That’s a shame.

[@hectorlopez1069]

He was born in Louisiana

[@hectorlopez1069]

It's a disaster he was homeless and living under a freeway bridge, right by the Astrodome where he was the king of pitching. It sucks to be homeless.

[@mrsmukk]

He gave me a baseball at one of my first Astros games.......all I remember is that this dudes hands were ridiculously huge.....RIP

[@travismcnamara8919]

This is a really sad story, but you did an amazing job telling it. It has an uplifting ending, but man his career should have been even more special than it already was. Hall of Fame was a real possibility.

[@nomorefielders]

11:47 That’s legit just one of many examples of discrimination in the medical field. Really sad that a should-be-extinct stereotype ended a great career.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thankfully we’ve reached a point where these type of situations are less common, it’s such a shame that even the highest level athletes couldn’t get fair medical treatment because of their skin color

[@bradhorowitz2765]

To add to that-notice how none of the interviews ppl said what jr insisted what threw really meant when his arm was tired. They all put up good faces rather than say “well he is black and you know that they like to complain..” they were liars. And for the Astros to forget about JR is just as bad. JR reminds me of the time when DC Comics took the Superman copyright from the Seigel team and fired them. One of the creators ended up going to DC comics for aid-employees by the. Had seen how poor financially he was-so they kicked him out again.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

@@bradhorowitz2765 That's kinda the thing with medical racism, it's not as obvious as a cross burning, but examples still exist all over the place. Looking back, it's easy to see how crazy it is that one of the top workhorses in the league was being called a complainer, but that type of racism was so deeply embedded, especially back then, that they got away with it.

[@candybanks8717]

J.R.s slider was filth incarnate. Unhittable! My dad and I love watching him, which wasn't often here in Colorado. Wish he'd had a lot longer to play.

[@robertbluestein7800]

I’m sorry for the multiple replies but you did a Historians job in your research. As you can see, we loved JR. My mom treated JR with reverence and love. You sir told a fantastic story that was long overdue. I knew JR on a more personal level and Of the press, ABC’s Bob Allen (KTRK) did openly apologize and he had the least reason to do so, demanding the team keep sending to doctors until they got it right. I would love to see you do a story on Lyman Bostock too. He came to Houston to discuss free agency but we had no space for him and he quickly signed with the Angels. His story ended tragically and suddenly and way too soon.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Feel free to send as many replies as you’d like when you have valuable and interesting stuff to say like this. I’m glad people like yourself who knew JR enjoyed the video, I really did want to show as much of his story as I could find.

[@seabrook1976]

4:25 I can’t find any clip of it on KZbin, but channel 13 sports anchor, the late Bob Allen did actually go on the air and admit he was wrong and make an apology during a news segment. I remember that stood out to me because my father said no one else, but him would admit to it.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I’d love to see that video. Much respect to Allen for that.

[@ketsen1171]

Thanks for drawing attention to this recently, never seen the video by you. Great story that I had never heard before

[@haedyncavanagh]

Excellent video, Enos Cabbell interview hit it right on the head. Very sad. Didn’t realize the similarities w deGrom. LGM!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Can’t wait for deGrom to get back on the field!

[@richiepoppin]

Great video bro JR Richards was feared what stuff the man had a story of trials and redemption unreal how bad the media and Astros treated him disgraceful RIP JR 🙏🏽You are a Hall of famer in our eyes of life.

[@christophergagne199]

Great Work. I started collecting Baseball Cards when I was 4 in 1980. As the son of a Rocket Scientist Physics Professor who worked for Martin Marietta, McDonnel Air, NASA & was a Physics Professor at OSU, LSU & UCF. I was a Math Prodigy thanks to POPs & a Stat monkey as Mom called Me. I loved tracking his stats from the Back of my 1981 Fleer & Topps called and then he Vanished & I had no internet to find JR until I saw a ESPN 3030 type Film about his tragic life to that point. Thank You for keeping JRs story alive. I can't wait to dive through your films. See You in the Comments,

[@ttmhog15]

Love your videos and this is truly excellent. You deserve to be huge my guy. Love the way you told the story and wove in the other channels. Really fantastic

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks so much man, I truly appreciate the kind words and support!!

[@MainEventR]

Incredible work!! I had to reference this video in a piece I wrote.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Link it if you can, I'd love to read it!

[@AstroFan428]

In the late 90s I was just getting into baseball and had no idea who JR was, but one day at a game in the Dome my dad said there was an old Astro sitting a few rows down. He was very nice and signed a ball for me, afterwards I learned all about him and even did projects on him and his career for school.

[@dirtydavis8308]

Most people forget how great JR was! Underrated, ya he had problems but man was he good. Thanks for doing videos on the guys sometimes people forget!

[@MatthewBaumgarten]

Really sad, I remember as a very young kid watching my favorite team the Astros play in the 70’s and JR Richard was awesome, I did not know the whole story about why he suddenly stopped pitching for the Astros. I know he had a heart attack at the Astrodome and knew then also that would keep him from pitching for awhile but not all those details thankyou for posting

[@libs-Suk-Balz]

I saw JR at his best. The guy was the best pitcher in baseball

[@truthyahweh9877]

What a story thank you!

[@megsley]

I'm not really a sports fan of any kind, but I love when KZbin recommends cool little sports videos like this one!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I'm glad you enjoyed regardless! Most of my recent videos are about stories/characters that come from sports more than anything else, I hope you stick around and check out my newest vids!

[@BaseballAF]

Ohohoho, this is good Glad to be a part of this project!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks for the help!

[@RoniaProductions]

Your channel is awesome. Entertaining and well researched keep it up love the style

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Glad you enjoyed! Got more stuff coming soon 👀

[@lowrollerscraps2477]

Great video. Sucks that he's gone. Just got a '78 Topps so he'll hang on my wall.

[@hectorlopez1069]

Covid ended his life in 2021.

[@PrimarySweeper13]

R.I.P legend

[@AndThatsBaseball]

🙏

[@omariparker3769]

So you’re telling me the Astros have always been a classy organization. Sweet.

[@bobtaylor170]

Blame the late John McMullen, who I think still owned the team.

[@cristianmunoz2480]

How you gonna blame the current owner for something a previous owner did?

[@SchmidtyProductions27]

I really wish we treated JR better. He was a great man and a really dominant pitcher. Seeing how we treated him makes me more ashamed than the cheating scandal ever did. However, it is kinda sucky to take a cheap shot at a team you don’t like in a video about a player who should be celebrated, in my opinion.

[@omariparker3769]

@@SchmidtyProductions27 I don't see it as a cheap shot at all. It's a shot that's well deserved. They showed how they treated the game and they showed how they treated one of their great players. And how about your fans giving Gurriel that ovation after the racist gesture he made against Darvish. My goodness. Stay classy, Houston.

[@SchmidtyProductions27]

@@omariparker3769 like I said, I don’t approve how the ownership treated him. And not every fan gave Gurriel a standing ovation. I for one was appalled when he did it. Stop shitting on my city just because you don’t like us. Houston is a pretty nice place with pretty nice people

[@garrettsutherland465]

dang!!! great vid - so inchresting!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks for the support!

[@atarijawa462]

Degrom is 34 years old and has 82 career wins. Even with his 3 great seasons he's not making the HOF.

[@poindextertunes]

But how is he holding that many baseballs in one hand? 😦🤯

[@brightgreenfuzzyball3000]

deGrom also has got his start for the Mets like the Ryan express, but we know what all these pitchers have in common or lack there of. We wish your deGrom all the best for a title someday , thank you so much for all work on your awesome content, from here in Houston.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

All the nice houston fans in the comments right after the Astros ripped my heart out is conflicting

[@islander5858]

Your content is awsome.. new sub here buddy 👍

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Glad you liked it!

[@BarnabyBaltimoron]

*Brandon Webb* looked like he was going to be the GOAT after ‘06, ‘07 and ‘08. He would be in the HOF if it weren’t for injuries. Let’s all hope deGrom stays healthy!!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

3 straight top 2 cy young finishes then never threw a pitch after his 30th birthday. Man is only 3 years older than verlander and he hasn’t played since 2009.

[@MetFanMac]

"Staying" healthy would require "healthy" being the de facto condition, lol

[@raygordonteacheschess5501]

in 1980 he was scary and unhittable. A monster on the mound.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I couldn’t imagine having to face him and Nolan Ryan in the same series

[@JoseJimenez-vc7we]

@@AndThatsBaseball Nolan Ryan would embrassed you but Jr Richard oh boy he would set you straight

[@hectorlopez1069]

Astros were world series champions of 1980. Then, the stroke occur and he was done.

[@ezekielcaselton5842]

Wow, just wow. I know him from Diamond Dynasty. Mets fan...wow, didn't know JR Richard (RIP) was that good.

[@joshuapatrick682]

The dude threw 76 Complete Games!!!! And I don’t need to elaborate on what all the 70’s Houston “fans” said about him in the 30+ games he started every season but you can imagine it would have gotten everyone cancelled if said today.

[@sumner-kv3gh]

All the fans bro? Not every Houston fan was a racist

[@muggsyaxton8085]

Don Wilson, JR Richard, and Nolan Ryan wouldn't been an outstanding 1-2-3 punch had fate not intervened

[@smartbaseballyt]

Bro you deserve way more subs keep it up

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks for the support boss!

[@smartbaseballyt]

@@AndThatsBaseball I wanna collaborate lol

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I’m prob not gonna collab for a while after this, I don’t wanna be relying on other people all the time, but maybe sometime down the road

[@smartbaseballyt]

@@AndThatsBaseball wow thanks

[@RetroBaseball]

It’s finally here!! grab the pretzels!!!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

It's about time

[@SteveGee1986]

It was Dr. Jobe who diagnosed it as muscle fatigue. It was not a front office hack. Dr. Jobe was highly respected and is famous for his work with athletes. Second, White players were subject to the tough guy era as well. EVERYONE was expected to play while hurt back then. Football players back then played "while" concussed. Sports medicine is light years ahead today. HS players are given better medical attention today than pro athletes back then.

[@j.tshark3313]

I love how some people push the DeGrom stats. But when you compare his 198 games played vs guys who 700+? that is pushing the stats logic. I am a stats guy and I get the snap shot approach but you then need to take a snap shot of the 700+ guys for same duration, 9 out 10 time their stats will blow that guy with lessee stats out of the stadium

[@TheTEN24]

Honestly not familiar with his career or story this was super informative. Extremely messed up how this organization treated him. His numbers are so similar to Jake’s it’s crazy!

[@jeffha4057]

Great job on this video! You should have way more subs than this!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks! I appreciate the support!

[@TheSkyline5467]

What a shame, man. What a beast.

[@christophertifre2018]

Astros did him DIRTY!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I just wish they’d acknowledge it

[@yankmyass]

They've done that to a lot of people

[@Gemnist98]

@@yankmyass And so did you, Mr. Envelope. In fact, while we’re on the subject of racism, you know which one of those two teams excluded black players because of the color barrier? (Sure the Astros didn’t exist back then, but the point remains)

[@yankmyass]

@@Gemnist98 I wasn't referencing racism, I was referencing the trash cans.

[@Gemnist98]

@@yankmyass Yes, but the video is about racism. And you’ll notice I brought up the trash cans with the envelope. Or do you not know about that?

[@weevie833]

07:22 Sid Vicious sighting. And is that Joe Jackson too? Happy meal!

[@winstonkostrzewa1585]

This is a great video. Wow

[@DemoMan_69]

JR Richard is my favorite MLB the Show card ever

[@marcyfan]

jr was magnificent. i especially miss him and stargell.

[@hectorlopez1069]

JR RICHARD and Willie stargell are hall of famers

[@mikepastor.k6233]

Was also a real good hitter. Could have been a 30 hr player if dedicated for a non pitching position.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Homered in each of his last 7 seasons, someone that big and strong was bound to run into some

[@hectorlopez1069]

He could hit homeruns, as well. Wow.

[@jjerg]

One of my idols as a young pitcher. Back in the day they thought all black athletes were 'lazy' and 'selfish'.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Media (especially down south) was horrible back then

[@stevenyanchak549]

J.R. was my 1st childhood hero. Only Earl Campbell surpassed him. J.R. should have won the 1979 Cy Young Award. There was no pitcher better & more dominant from 1976 to 1980 than J.R... just ask the players.

[@hectorlopez1069]

I met Jr, I shook his hand and he signed a baseball for me. I'm gonna take care of that baseball.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I would’ve loved to meet him, I’m glad you got the chance

[@hectorlopez1069]

​@@AndThatsBaseball Thank you, he was a good man.

[@TedTheScientist]

WOHHOOOO NEW VIDEO

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Lets goooooo!

[@pixelythegamer3260]

Just imagine if an fully healthy JR Richard started game Six of the 1986 NLCS

[@kingofallmediums2123]

I like the old days when The National League and the American League only met during the all-star game and the World Series 😮

[@joshuapatrick682]

I don’t know when the MLBPA implemented their pension, but it’s cases like this that made it a necessity.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I think the pension was around but he was broke before the age where he started receiving payments

[@ChannelMan434]

Racism in baseball and medicine literally ended this man’s HoF career and ruined his life, that’s infuriating

[@Gemnist98]

I can’t speak for the Astros (though right now they’re one of the most diverse teams in baseball), but I can say the medicine community is now way better, and actually considered the best in the country. Fun Fact: not long after this incident, Roger Maris came here to treat his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which he sadly succumbed to.

[@Dave__AC]

Bruh no way you can be 3%bf and have enough energy to throw a baseball more than a few times

[@AndThatsBaseball]

He was definitely lying lmao he was prob 12-15%

[@philipwall1025]

I thought you were gonna say Nolan was pitcher A,only because they were together whenJR was dominating.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

If they ever got a playoff run together idk how a team could’ve stopped them

[@jeffarmfield2346]

I can't believe I didn't know more about this guy other than the fact that he was a really good pitcher who's career I thought had ended due to more normal injuries. As I sat watching this I was left so angry at how this man was treated that I was literally talking back to my phone lol. But seriously, the way this man got treated is absolute BULLSHIT. Imo the Astros should make this right by at least issuing a public apology to this man's family.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

The Astros had him to the park frequently in his last few years, but I still think they should do something more. Retiring his number would be a great gesture imo, and I think he deserves it.

[@cristianmunoz2480]

Different owner

[@sams5780]

I'm surprised his number isn't retired even though he's in the Astros Hall of Fame.

[@hectorlopez1069]

Why isn't his number retired?

[@Gemnist98]

Number retirement is usually reserved for franchise staples, and Richard played around the time of other franchise staples like Jose Cruz. For context, Billy Wagner is about to go into the Baseball Hall of Fame as an Astro, and we still haven’t retired his number #13. Not to mention, Richard’s #50 is currently being used by Hector Neris.

[@sams5780]

​@@Gemnist98 Not necessarily relevant, but the Astros first 2 retired numbers belonged to Jim Umbricht (#32), and Don Wilson (#40). Umbricht died of cancer at 33, and Wilson died from carbon monoxide poisoning at 30. Wilson was also the 1st pitcher to throw a no-hitter in a domed stadium.

[@upwenvy]

A Mets fan jinx lol

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Cmon that’s not fair, we all wanna see a full season from deGrom

[@logalogalog]

The Last of Us soundtrack!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

It’s so good

[@eltonrice7392]

So sad...

[@TexasSportsTV]

The Astros messed up here.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Yes

[@mkl5448]

Well your boy degrom is at dehome watching everybody else in deplayoffs.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I’m a Yankees fan lmao

[@michaelastorga3187]

JR Richards story is so sad. He would have been a sure HOF had they had treated him. His number should be still retired by the Astros.

[@69ChevyGarage]

Wonder why he never sought outside treatment especially when your career is on the line, you know there is something wrong with you, even though the club medical staff is saying 'nah'. That would have been sweet revenge to come back to the Astros rubbing those clot results in their faces.

[@Vincentovich89]

DeGrom is hurt CONSTANTLY otherwise his numbers would not rival Clayton Kershaw's numbers.

[@kmena05]

Imagine if J.R. would've been around for the 1980 Postseason the Astros could've won the 1980 World Series and maybe the MLB would've never moved the Astros to the AL because they were seen as a poverty franchise in the early 2010's and everything that happened since 2017 would've probably never happened. 🤔

[@Gemnist98]

I doubt winning a World Series in the 80s would have changed anything for us. Richard would have retired along with Ryan, and we would have rebuilt with the Bagwell-Biggio team, then tanked just like we did. If it happened to the Athletics, it would happen to us, and we’re not exactly a poor franchise; our value is ranked #13 out of 30 teams.

[@philipwall1025]

Can't forget they were on baseball cards together 2...

[@dalepress1581]

Why not account for league hitters strikeout percentage as a whole when comparing pitchers from different eras? I mean, it's pretty obvious that it's easier to strike out hitters in the current era given hitters don't care if they strikeout.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Hitters are also a lot better in general than they were at the time. He would’ve probably struck more out but also allowed more walks and homers.

[@dalepress1581]

@@AndThatsBaseball Are they better? Hard to argue that swinging and missing more equals better. Hitters are more comfortable in the modern era, with body armor, helmets, warnings for throwing inside, etc. All these hitters that dig in now would have been beaned in other eras. I'd like to see how good some of them are with no body armor. Mostly, however, given that the true high strike is not called anymore. all this launch angle BS would have bee worthless in the past. You ain't lifting JR Richard's fastball at the letters. So choke up I guess. I love you crunch these numbers, but why not take it up a notch and try and explain why the numbers are what they are. It's not always a better now than then or vice versa conclusion. You ever wonder why for over a century batters were simply trying to transfer weight from their back foot to their front foot when hitting? Far different from the rotational hitting approach now, with most weight being on the back leg? Would that even have been possible in the 80's? Sure, but dudes would have hit .110.

[@S_Over_Street]

Pitchers who’s careers ended too early or their dominance didn’t last as long: J.R Richard Dwight Gooden Brett Saberhagen Brandon Webb Dontrelle Willis Johan Santana Felix Hernandez

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Sports can be tragic man

[@evilmonkeyspeaks7801]

If only Doc could've stayed clean.......

[@hectorlopez1069]

JR richard was better than all of them in this list.

[@MrSEANCARPENTER1]

The 1980 NLCS may have ended differently.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

JR and Ryan for potentially 4 of 5 games in that series and I don’t see how Philly could’ve pulled it off

[@MrSEANCARPENTER1]

@@AndThatsBaseball Yeah,looking back at it now,I don't think so either.

[@hectorlopez1069]

Phillies got so lucky, JR stroke was the best thing that happen to them, or Astros win the 1980 World Series.

[@Gemnist98]

It’s known to be one of the closest, most intense postseason series of all time. Maybe things would have turned out different, but as an Astros fan, aside from Richard’s condition, I have no regrets about losing since the Phillies deserved to finally win after nearly a century of being the joke of baseball. Besides - we got our revenge eventually, hehe.

[@MegaSeth22]

"It was racist to speculate drug usage..." 5 mins later "although he was on cocaine at the time..."

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Drug usage had nothing to do with his injury. Point is his concerns were dismissed unfairly, almost everyone did coke at the time. Why was JR singled out in this way?

[@slugcult-10_years_and]

You know, career numbers and stats are great and all, but it all boils down to the rings. If you haven't won a ring, it doesn't mean squat.

[@og2tone9o15]

Its so stupid when people claim that they have had sub 10% body fat , literally only bodybuilding pros walk around that lean no human other than body builders walk around that lean

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Yeah I’d assume it was more like 12-15% but the layman didn’t know back then so he got away with it lmao

[@og2tone9o15]

@@AndThatsBaseball ya you right and really good video btw I enjoy your channel

[@clipobserver]

Surprised he didn't sue the Astros

[@AndThatsBaseball]

He did and they settled after the Astros smeared him saying his injuries were because of his cocaine use. His lawyers thought he deserved 25m, he got much less

[@muchlovegeorge6578]

"You know he black it’s all in his head" 🤦🏾‍♂️🙃. That’s Messed up smh

[@ozzuzzomg]

I picked degrom cause walks and k

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Can’t fault anyone for picking degrom in any scenario

[@dalepress1581]

These deGrom comparisons are kinda whack. I'm sure JR Richard and Ryan's numbers would have been significantly better if they set out every game knowing they were only going to pitch 6 innings.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Idk what you want me to do then

[@dalepress1581]

@@AndThatsBaseball Mention it. Certainly you can acknowledge the difference between max effort pitching in shorter innings vs. pacing yourself as you are expected to throw a complete game. You're making the case that deGrom is an all-time great. Is he? His track record indicates he could not have carried the workload that Richard, Ryan and others did in their prime. Whole lot of closers have great numbers if you want to extrapolate their numbers over a career. But you see, they pitch one inning for a reason.

[@prestoncarr3452]

I honestly chose pitcher a because he walks less batters

[@GeraldM_inNC]

JR Richard gave you innings and wins; DeGrom gives you neither. He basically gives you about as many innings as a middle-inning reliever. On the rare occasions when he's healthy enough to start, he gives you five innings. The past three years he has averaged 74 innings, and even before his arm problems he was barely reaching 200 innings. Best pitcher of all time? Give me a break!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

It’s a different era. Of course deGrom has to be healthy, but he’s still had one of the greatest peaks of all time. JR was special, the whole point is contextualizing his greatness next to a name that modern mlb fans know. Most fans now have no idea who JR was or how amazing he was.

[@GeraldM_inNC]

@@AndThatsBaseball When is the last time he was healthy? He's averaged 74 innings the past 3 years.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

@@GeraldM_inNC at the time I made this, he only had one serious injury in his career. Look at 2017-2020, he was throwing more innings than most guys at the time. He lost half of 2021 to injury before this vid then got hurt in the spring after this vid.

[@GeraldM_inNC]

@@AndThatsBaseball No he wasn't throwing more innings than other aces 2017-2020, absolutely not. Totally false.

[@larsonawitz]

So Chris Sale is pretty awesome

[@AndThatsBaseball]

He is but not as awesome as JR

[@larsonawitz]

@@AndThatsBaseball True, but the stats in the beginning were unexpected.

[@JT-ev5jh]

First video of yours I watched. And I subscribed during. Great content‼️🫱🏾‍🫲🏽💪🏾

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@mikehawk7220]

It's like you can't find a baseball channel on KZbin that doesn't gargle the Mets over rated balls. This wasn't a Jr Richard video it was a Jacob degrom fan girl video

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Did you watch the video? It’s contextualizing Richard’s greatness with the most well known superstar pitcher of today. The entire second half is just about Richard’s story

[@bobtaylor170]

@@AndThatsBaseball don't pay attention to jerks.

[@Gemnist98]

I hope you realize that ATB is a Yankees fan. And Yankees fans DESPISE the Mets.

[@hectorlopez1069]

He said when he was homeless, you are going to suffer with nothing to eat. You are going to live homeless, with hunger.

[@dubiedu7901]

Mets fans shaking in their boots right now

[@AndThatsBaseball]

DeGrom is doing the chop

[@baileytoon3123]

We not talking about drew Gilbert

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Drew Gilbert is gonna take years off my life if he’s a star

[@baileytoon3123]

I meant Ben joys

[@Search4theYeti79]

Phillies are the real NL East Champs!

[@EricGarciastussy]

OMFG!!! SHAME ON ALL OF YOU IN THE ASTROS ORGANIZATION...you should all be ashamed, my goodness...horrible

[@AndThatsBaseball]

It really is horrible