Richard entered Major League Baseball with the Astros in 1971 as a September call-up. On September 6, Richard made his major league debut at just 21 years of age, in the second game of a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants.[11] Richard used his fastball–slider combination to pick up the win and tied Karl Spooner's 17-year-old major league record for striking out 15 batters in his first major league start.[12] Richard was charged with two earned runs and seven hits in the 5–3 Astros win but struck out Willie Mays and Dick Dietz three times.[13]
Richard made his next start, after five days rest, against the Cincinnati Reds,[14] who would later finish the NL West season in a tie for fourth place with the Astros.[15] Richard gave up a lead-off home run to Pete Rose in the first inning and pitched five innings of the a two-hit, one-run game. He struck out five batters but walked six.[16] Richard struggled in his two following starts. In a September 16 match-up against the Astros' division rival, the third-place Atlanta Braves, Richard pitched seven innings and surrendered four runs on seven hits. He struck out nine batters and even struck out the side in the first inning but also walked four batters. Furthermore, he threw two wild pitches in the first and fifth innings.[17] In his final game of the season, against the Giants, Richard was replaced in the first inning after pitching to only four batters.[18]
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