two weeks later, he fell out on the mound during a training session.
I remember SI had a feature on this and basically they blamed coke and 'too much rich food' with a picture of Richards eating ribs. What they left out is that he had been complaining of a dead arm and the Astros ignored him.
Wikipedia receipts: "A massive blockage in his right carotid artery necessitated emergency surgery that evening. An examination by neurologist William S. Fields showed that Richard was still experiencing weakness in his extremities and on the left side of his face. He also had blurred vision through his left eye. A CAT scan of Richard's brain later showed that Richard had experienced three separate strokes from the different obstructions in his arterial system. Furthermore, the arteries in his right arm were still obstructed. Later examinations showed that Richard was suffering from extensive arterial thoracic outlet syndrome. While pitching, his clavicle and first rib pinched his subclavian artery. As a result of this problem, Richard would feel normal for the first few innings of the game but after putting repeated pressure on his subclavian artery, his arm would start to ache in pain and eventually start to feel "heavy". His wife at the time, Carolyn, told reporters, "It took death, or nearly death, to get an apology. They should have believed him." Richard underwent rehabilitation and missed the rest of the season."
He never pitched in the majors again, despite recovering.
He went through some tough times, money scams, etc...but he remains an OG OG, THE ace on a pitching staff that featured PRIME Nolan Ryan.
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