Dock Ellis, a pitcher for 12 seasons in the majors including the 1971 World Series champion Pirates, passed away Friday of complications of a liver ailment. He was 63 years old.
Ellis threw a no-hitter at San Diego on June 12, 1970 and later admitted to being under the influence of LSD at the time.
In 1971, when Ellis went 19-9, he started the All-Star game for the NL at Tiger Stadium and gave up a long home run to Reggie Jackson of the A's that would have gone over the right field roof if it had not hit a light tower and bounced back.
On May 1, 1974, Ellis started a game in Pittsburgh against Cincinnati and hit the first three Reds batters (Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Dan Driessen) before walking Tony Perez (who apparently could duck better) and being removed by manager Danny Murtaugh.
Ellis also pitched in the 1976 World Series for the Yankees.
Thanks to Diane Firstman of Bronx Banter for the heads up.
One time some buddies and I road-tripped to Pittsburgh for the last series played at Three Rivers. We went to the first two games of the series and then on our way out of town we stopped by the former location of Forbes Field, where they have a plaque and part of the outfield wall still standing. Just by sheer coincidence, Dock Ellis happens to be there. Just visiting, like us. We get to talking, and it turns out he's a really nice guy and we have a great baseball conversation.
So after talking baseball with us for half an hour or so, Dock ends up inviting us to that evening's game (the Three Rivers Finale) as his guests in a skybox. We had to turn him down and leave town because one member of our party, whom I would have liked to kill, couldn't get out of work the next day. Still, that was an incredibly nice thing for Ellis to do, inviting these guys who he didn't know from Adam to the game as his guests.
It should also be mentioned that Dock Ellis is the subject of one of the great baseball books of all time, Donald Hall's "Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball."
Dock Ellis, a pitcher for 12 seasons in the majors including the 1971 World Series champion Pirates, passed away Friday of complications of a liver ailment. He was 63 years old.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/13/sports/sp-elliott13
One time some buddies and I road-tripped to Pittsburgh for the last series played at Three Rivers. We went to the first two games of the series and then on our way out of town we stopped by the former location of Forbes Field, where they have a plaque and part of the outfield wall still standing. Just by sheer coincidence, Dock Ellis happens to be there. Just visiting, like us. We get to talking, and it turns out he's a really nice guy and we have a great baseball conversation.
So after talking baseball with us for half an hour or so, Dock ends up inviting us to that evening's game (the Three Rivers Finale) as his guests in a skybox. We had to turn him down and leave town because one member of our party, whom I would have liked to kill, couldn't get out of work the next day. Still, that was an incredibly nice thing for Ellis to do, inviting these guys who he didn't know from Adam to the game as his guests.
It should also be mentioned that Dock Ellis is the subject of one of the great baseball books of all time, Donald Hall's "Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball."
Couldn't spring for a bus ticket? :)
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