HOUSTON -- On October 2, 1977 at Dodger Stadium, Dusty Baker did something that he hadn’t done before and would never do again: Hit a home run off J.R. Richard.
“I finally got him,” he said.
Baker stood in the batter’s box against Richard 78 times and that 46th plate appearance would be his first and only extra base hit against the man on Thursday he called the toughest pitcher he ever faced. Richard passed away Wednesday at the age of 71 and before managing Richard’s old team, Baker reflected on someone he considered a close friend.
“We became friends even though we were adversaries on the mound. He got the nod most of the time. I got him a couple of times, but he got me a whole bunch of times.”
Richard struck him out on 24 occasions over the course of his career, more than Baker had against any other pitcher, and limited the two-time All-Star to a .157 batting average. Richard stood at 6’8, and Baker said his size made life tough on hitters.
“The plate’s 60-feet, 6 inches from the mound, but J.R. was only throwing from about 50-feet. You didn't have much time to make up your mind. Plus, he was a little bit wild, and you didn't really feel comfortable on the box.”
For that reason, Baker recounted some of his Dodgers teammates coming down with a mysterious injuries and illnesses on the days Richard was scheduled to pitch against them.
“We had a couple of catchers, J.R. was pitching and one of them came with his arm in a sling and other came with crutches, so there's such a thing called J.R.-itis, it was an incurable disease when you're afraid of J.R.”
Baker said he and Richard remained close and would speak monthly, and even though he was hard on him at the plate, it never carried over off the field.
“He’d come get me after the game at the Astrodome, he’d strike me out a couple of times, and then he’d come around and pick me up, and we’d go get a drink after the game or something to eat.
"I'd see him coming and I'd hurry up and get on the bus and he'd wait outside the bus. He knew I was on the bus hiding from him, so I'd get off the bus and go with him. He would tell me ‘Hey man, the game's over with’ and I'd say ‘No, the game’s over for you but not over for me because I'm still mad about those three strikeouts.’ He was a heck of a dude.”