Rick Williams

Who is Rick Williams?

Richard Allen Williams is a retired American professional baseball player. He was a 6 ft 1 in, 180 lb right-handed pitcher who appeared in 48 games, 17 as a starter, for the 1978–1979 Houston Astros.

Williams 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 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. Pitching in relief of Joe Niekro 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 would win the game, 6–5. Williams was credited with the win, while Joe Sambito 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 34²⁄₃ innings pitched.

The following year, he appeared in 31 games for Houston, and made 16 starts. In May of 1979, he recorded two complete game shutouts, the only two of his Major League career.