Richard Allen Williams (born November 9, 1952) is a retired
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
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. He was a ,
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
who appeared in 48
games, 17 as a
starter, for the 1978–1979
Houston Astros.
Williams attended
Merced High School
Merced High School is located in Merced, California, United States. It is a part of the Merced Union High School District.
The current enrollment is over 1,800 students in grades 9 through 12. The school is currently under Principal Marcus Knott ...
in
Merced, California
Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on April 1 ...
where, in April 1969, he threw a
no-hitter in a 1–0 duel against
Al Autry of
Grace M. Davis High School
Grace M. Davis High School, commonly referred to as Davis High School, is a public high school located in Modesto, California, United States. Established in 1961, the school serves students in grades 9-12. Davis High was recognized as a Califo ...
.
Williams attended
Merced College
Merced College is a public community college in Merced, California.
History
In 1961, the Merced High and Le Grand High School Districts petitioned the State Board of Education for permission to set an election to approve the establishment of a ...
. He was signed by Houston as an undrafted free agent in May 1972 and began his pro career in the Rookie-level
Florida East Coast League
The Florida East Coast League was the name of two United States, American minor league baseball circuits based on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of Florida. The first edition of the league operated as a Class D (baseball), Class D level league ...
that season. He reached the
Triple-A level in 1975 and made his Major League debut on June 12 of the 1978 season in the eighth
inning of a game against the
Pittsburgh Pirates at the
Astrodome
The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...
. Pitching in
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
of
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro ( ; November 7, 1944 – October 27, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of former Major League first baseman Lance Niekro. Niekr ...
with the Astros trailing 4–0, Williams allowed a
run during his
inning of work to make the score 5–0, Pittsburgh. But in the bottom of that inning, Houston scored six runs and won the game, 6–5. Williams (removed for a
pinch hitter during Houston's six-run rally) was credited with the
victory
The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...
, while
Joe Sambito
Joseph Charles Sambito (born June 28, 1952) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros (1976–1982, 1984), New York Mets (1985) and Boston Red Sox (1986–1987). He batted and threw left-handed.
Early life
H ...
picked up the
save.
Williams worked in 17 games for the
1978 Astros, including one game as a
starting pitcher, and fashioned a 1–2
record and a 4.67
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
in 34
innings pitched.
The following year, he appeared in 31 games for Houston, and made 16 starts. In May 1979, he recorded two
complete game shutouts
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
, the only two of his Major League career. On May 20, he blanked the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
on five
hits, beating future
Hall of Famer
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry (September 15, 1938 – December 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for eight different teams from 1962 to 1983. During a 22-year baseb ...
, 1–0. Eleven days later, he went the distance and whitewashed the
Cincinnati Reds on seven hits, 3–0.
He took a regular turn in the Astro rotation during June, but in July he transitioned to a spot-starter and relief pitcher "swingman" role. All told, he worked in innings, won four of 11
decisions, and posted an ERA of 3.26.
Williams returned the minor leagues in 1980, but struggled to regain his effectiveness, and his Major League tenure was over. All told, in 156 MLB innings pitched, Williams surrendered 165 hits and 40
bases on balls. He
struck out
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...
54. His pro career ended after the 1982 season, his 11th in the game.
References
External links
o
Retrosheeto
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Rick
1952 births
Living people
Baseball players from Merced, California
Cedar Rapids Astros players
Charleston Charlies players
Cocoa Astros players
Columbus Astros players
Houston Astros players
Iowa Oaks players
Leones del Caracas players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Toledo Mud Hens players
Tucson Toros players