Kris Letang was getting better and better the last few years. Last year, despite missing 13 games, he averaged better than a point a game (38 points in 35 regular season games, plus 16 points in 15 playoff games). Kris could be a Norris Trophy candidate for years to come.
This year was not as good. And then, came the stroke. Always sad to read about strokes affecting young athletes.
I hope he comes back. But there is one thought in my mind right now: He just might not ever return!
Remember J.R. Richard? The flame thrower on Houston in the mid to late 70s? Oh, yes, and 1980. 1980, that is, until he came down from a stroke that he never returned to major league baseball from.
Richard's was right there in the middle of his prime in 1980. You need only look at his teammate on the Houston Astros that year to know how good he was. That teammate was Nolan Ryan. And for many years before that, J.R. looked liked he'd be better than Nolan!
In his first four seasons, young Richard struggled with control. He had plenty on his pitches, but very little mastery of it. He averaged better than 12 K's per 9 innings pitched his first two short seasons (1971 and 1972). Granted, this was only in 21 and 6 innings pitched respectively, but the potential was there. Where have we read this all before?
But once he started to pitch more, he started to harness it. Just like Sandy Koufax's early years, it was going to take some time, but his talent was quickly becoming apparent! In '73, J.R. tossed just 72 innings, but went 6-2. Most impressively, he allowed just 54 hits during that span. And, on top of that, he K'd 75 batters for an average of 9.4 per 9 innings!
Alas, J.R. fell back the next year, and all his numbers went down. But the young man, who was 25 in 1975, would not let that season affect his progress. 1975 was the next step. A make or break season.
And he made it!
Although only 12-10 with a 4.39 ERA, it nevertheless marked his first full season on the mound. And a closer look reveals several bright spots:
178 hits allowed in 203 innings pitched. That was good enough for just 7.9 hits allowed per 9 innings. Pretty good! Indeed, it was just outside the top 10 in the National League. 176 K's? That meant Richard averaged 7.8 K's per 9 innings pitched. And that was good enough for 2nd, behind only John Montefusco.
Okay, his wildness was still there. He walked 138 batters and threw 20 wild pitches. And those numbers were high enough to lead the league in each category. But as with a young Koufax, these were problems that you just had to accept. Richard's was heading in the right direction and poised for the breakthrough.
It came soon enough. 1976 was a huge step forward for the 26 year old!
Although 20-15, which isn't good by W% standards, his 2.75 ERA was splendid! It was good enough for 7th place in the senior circuit.
The K's weren't as good. He only fanned 214 batters in 291 innings. But, at 6.6 K's per 9, that was still good enough for 4th place. The walks were up to 151, enough to lead the league. That was also enough for 4.7 walks per nine innings pitched. But up until the 1976, J.R. had averaged a career mark of 5.8 per 9. So it was an improvement. And it was quite a comedown from 1975, where Richard average 6.1 walks per 9 innings. And how about giving up just 221 hits for 6.8 per 9? That lead the NL and was third overall in the bigs! And while he walked more, his wildness did improve in two areas. Richard only hit 2 batters in 1976 compared to 5 in 1975. And he tossed just 13 wild pitches, compared to 20 in 1975.
Richard would never win 20 games again, but he was about to become an elite pitcher in the next 3 1/2 seasons.
In 1977, at the age of 27, Richard came home with 18 wins. The amazing thing? The walks were down to just 104 in 267 innings pitched. That meant only 3.5 for 9 innings. And the K's were again 214, only this time it was good enough for 7.2 per 9. The ERA climbed to 2.97. None of these numbers were good enough to lead the league. But J.R. was right there, and getting better and better.
After losing 12 games in '77, Richard lost 11 in 1978, but again won 18 games. The ERA was and over 3 (3.11). The wildness was back. He lead the NL in wild pitches with 16 and walks with 141. But how about the K's? Over 300! 303 to be exact. And it was in only 275 1/3 innings pitched. That's almost 10 (9.9) strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. Needless to say, he lead the NL in K's and K/9IP. J.R. also led the NL in fewests hits allowed per 9 innings, with just 6.3!
1979, and more of the same. Only this time, Richard added the ERA crown (2.71). Another 18 wins (granted, he lost 13). Look at this:
His allowed per 9: 6.8
K's: 313
K/9IP: 9.6
All of that lead the junior circut.
And the next year looked to be even better. The Astros had a new pitcher that year named Nolan Ryan, but J.R. was making even him look mortal! The ERA was low, real low (1.90). 10 wins and only 4 losses. 119 K's in only 113 2/3 inning. But when he left his start on July 14th of that season (1980) he was appearing the bigs for the last time. J.R. was then 30 years old.
The stroke ended his season and career. Richard tried several times to come back. When he pitched in the minors and spring training, he looked like the same pitcher as before the stroke (aside from some struggles in 6 Triple-A ball games in 1982). He recovered completely. Now, I should be telling you about his return to the majors. But there was none, as the risk ultimately proved to be too great.
So what does this all mean for Letang? Staying with hockey, there was Brian Mullen. Mullen, preparing for the 1993/94 season, suffered a stroke in August of that year and never played again. He was only 31. Mullen was never really much of a star, but he was consistent. In an 8 year span from 1982/83 to 1989/90 Brian scored at least 21 goals. Mullen's high was 32 in only 69 games in 84/85. His brother, Joe actually played for the Penguins (Kris Letang's current team) and made the Hockey Hall Of Fame.
Letang is only 26. Will he come back? The odds seem good with his age, say the doctors. Last season, the league lost Erik Karlsson for most of the season. Erik is the best defenceman in the league in my book. Letang is almost as good. But I looked forward to some epic "Battle for the Norris Trophies" from both. That's why I sure hope Kris does come back, as writing this about J.R. was more painful than I could have imagined.
References
This year was not as good. And then, came the stroke. Always sad to read about strokes affecting young athletes.
I hope he comes back. But there is one thought in my mind right now: He just might not ever return!
Remember J.R. Richard? The flame thrower on Houston in the mid to late 70s? Oh, yes, and 1980. 1980, that is, until he came down from a stroke that he never returned to major league baseball from.
Richard's was right there in the middle of his prime in 1980. You need only look at his teammate on the Houston Astros that year to know how good he was. That teammate was Nolan Ryan. And for many years before that, J.R. looked liked he'd be better than Nolan!
In his first four seasons, young Richard struggled with control. He had plenty on his pitches, but very little mastery of it. He averaged better than 12 K's per 9 innings pitched his first two short seasons (1971 and 1972). Granted, this was only in 21 and 6 innings pitched respectively, but the potential was there. Where have we read this all before?
But once he started to pitch more, he started to harness it. Just like Sandy Koufax's early years, it was going to take some time, but his talent was quickly becoming apparent! In '73, J.R. tossed just 72 innings, but went 6-2. Most impressively, he allowed just 54 hits during that span. And, on top of that, he K'd 75 batters for an average of 9.4 per 9 innings!
Alas, J.R. fell back the next year, and all his numbers went down. But the young man, who was 25 in 1975, would not let that season affect his progress. 1975 was the next step. A make or break season.
And he made it!
Although only 12-10 with a 4.39 ERA, it nevertheless marked his first full season on the mound. And a closer look reveals several bright spots:
178 hits allowed in 203 innings pitched. That was good enough for just 7.9 hits allowed per 9 innings. Pretty good! Indeed, it was just outside the top 10 in the National League. 176 K's? That meant Richard averaged 7.8 K's per 9 innings pitched. And that was good enough for 2nd, behind only John Montefusco.
Okay, his wildness was still there. He walked 138 batters and threw 20 wild pitches. And those numbers were high enough to lead the league in each category. But as with a young Koufax, these were problems that you just had to accept. Richard's was heading in the right direction and poised for the breakthrough.
It came soon enough. 1976 was a huge step forward for the 26 year old!
Although 20-15, which isn't good by W% standards, his 2.75 ERA was splendid! It was good enough for 7th place in the senior circuit.
The K's weren't as good. He only fanned 214 batters in 291 innings. But, at 6.6 K's per 9, that was still good enough for 4th place. The walks were up to 151, enough to lead the league. That was also enough for 4.7 walks per nine innings pitched. But up until the 1976, J.R. had averaged a career mark of 5.8 per 9. So it was an improvement. And it was quite a comedown from 1975, where Richard average 6.1 walks per 9 innings. And how about giving up just 221 hits for 6.8 per 9? That lead the NL and was third overall in the bigs! And while he walked more, his wildness did improve in two areas. Richard only hit 2 batters in 1976 compared to 5 in 1975. And he tossed just 13 wild pitches, compared to 20 in 1975.
Richard would never win 20 games again, but he was about to become an elite pitcher in the next 3 1/2 seasons.
In 1977, at the age of 27, Richard came home with 18 wins. The amazing thing? The walks were down to just 104 in 267 innings pitched. That meant only 3.5 for 9 innings. And the K's were again 214, only this time it was good enough for 7.2 per 9. The ERA climbed to 2.97. None of these numbers were good enough to lead the league. But J.R. was right there, and getting better and better.
After losing 12 games in '77, Richard lost 11 in 1978, but again won 18 games. The ERA was and over 3 (3.11). The wildness was back. He lead the NL in wild pitches with 16 and walks with 141. But how about the K's? Over 300! 303 to be exact. And it was in only 275 1/3 innings pitched. That's almost 10 (9.9) strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. Needless to say, he lead the NL in K's and K/9IP. J.R. also led the NL in fewests hits allowed per 9 innings, with just 6.3!
1979, and more of the same. Only this time, Richard added the ERA crown (2.71). Another 18 wins (granted, he lost 13). Look at this:
His allowed per 9: 6.8
K's: 313
K/9IP: 9.6
All of that lead the junior circut.
And the next year looked to be even better. The Astros had a new pitcher that year named Nolan Ryan, but J.R. was making even him look mortal! The ERA was low, real low (1.90). 10 wins and only 4 losses. 119 K's in only 113 2/3 inning. But when he left his start on July 14th of that season (1980) he was appearing the bigs for the last time. J.R. was then 30 years old.
The stroke ended his season and career. Richard tried several times to come back. When he pitched in the minors and spring training, he looked like the same pitcher as before the stroke (aside from some struggles in 6 Triple-A ball games in 1982). He recovered completely. Now, I should be telling you about his return to the majors. But there was none, as the risk ultimately proved to be too great.
So what does this all mean for Letang? Staying with hockey, there was Brian Mullen. Mullen, preparing for the 1993/94 season, suffered a stroke in August of that year and never played again. He was only 31. Mullen was never really much of a star, but he was consistent. In an 8 year span from 1982/83 to 1989/90 Brian scored at least 21 goals. Mullen's high was 32 in only 69 games in 84/85. His brother, Joe actually played for the Penguins (Kris Letang's current team) and made the Hockey Hall Of Fame.
Letang is only 26. Will he come back? The odds seem good with his age, say the doctors. Last season, the league lost Erik Karlsson for most of the season. Erik is the best defenceman in the league in my book. Letang is almost as good. But I looked forward to some epic "Battle for the Norris Trophies" from both. That's why I sure hope Kris does come back, as writing this about J.R. was more painful than I could have imagined.
References
Neft,
David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St.
Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Nemec,
David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major
League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications
International, 1993. Print.
"Official Site of the National Hockey League” | NHL.com.
National Hockey League. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <https://www.nhl.com>.
Shalin,
Mike, and Neil Shalin. "J.R Richard." Out By A Step: The 100 Best Players Not In The
Baseball Hall of Fame. Lanham: Diamond Communications, 2002. Print. pp. 172-174.
Sports Reference LLC. "(title of a particular page or blank for
general citation)." Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics
and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Sports Reference LLC. "(title of a particular page
or blank for general citation)." Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey
Statistics and History. Web. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Teotonio, Isabel. “Why Did 26-Year-Old Pittsburgh Penguin Kris Letang Have A Stroke?” The Toronto Sun / Thestar.com, Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd, 7 Feb. 2014. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <www.thestar.com/life/2014/02/07/why_did_26yearold_pittsburgh_penguin_kris_letang_have_a_stroke.html>.
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