Dock Ellis (3/11/1945 - 12/19/2008)

[Bikeage77]

Best known for throwing a no hitter on LSD and plunking a bunch of Reds to open a game, Dock died of liver failure Friday night. His stories will not be forgotten. RIP.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3782859

 

 

(title tweaked for typo --1992)

[MadisonBrewerBlue]

my first avatar ever here at BFN,

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/madisonbrewerblue/docke-1.gif

[Tisko]

From Wikipedia,

 

Attempting to hit every batter in the Cincinnati Reds lineup on May 1, 1974. In an effort to prove a point to teammates, Ellis hit Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Dan Driessen in the top of the first. The clean-up batter Tony Perez avoided Ellis' attempts, instead drawing a walk, and after two pitches aimed at the head of Johnny Bench, Ellis was removed from the game by manager Danny Murtaugh. Ellis' box score for the game reads: 0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.

[jaybird2001wi]

I remember reading about his LSD no-hitter awhile back. Basically Dock and his girlfriend were hanging out somewhere in SoCal and his girlfriend asked if he was pitching that day while they were "using" and Ellis said he didn't think so, only to learn from that day's newspaper that he was listed as the Pirates' probable starter that day while he was under the influence.

If I remember correctly, he was paraphrased as saying: "Sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't and sometimes the ball looked as big as a beach ball."

Sports Illustrated did a "Where are they now?" issue and Ellis was reformed and become a Drug Abuse counselor as a way of giving back after his years as a ballplayer and was sober for a decade or two.

What I think was more remarkable was his admission of using LSD during the era of speculative amphetamine use and around the time cocaine became a drug some ballplayers used (see: 1986 Mets: Hernandez, Keith; Wilson, Mookie).

[sbrylski]

One of the most interesting characters ever.

[Brian the Automator]

I remember reading about his LSD no-hitter awhile back. Basically Dock and his girlfriend were hanging out somewhere in SoCal and his girlfriend asked if he was pitching that day while they were "using" and Ellis said he didn't think so, only to learn from that day's newspaper that he was listed as the Pirates' probable starter that day while he was under the influence.

 

Honestly, I think the whole LSD story is bunk. There's no way he'd be able to make much sense of a newspaper, let alone pitch a perfect game on acid.

[BrewCrewForever]

That is one record that will never fall. I'm sure Ellis is the one and only player that has or will ever throw a no hitter on LSD.

[hawing]

Honestly, I think the whole LSD story is bunk. There's no way he'd be able to make much sense of a newspaper, let alone pitch a perfect game on acid.

You certainly sound knowledgeable about this.

[JonnyLungs]

Honestly, I think the whole LSD story is bunk. There's no way he'd be able to make much sense of a newspaper, let alone pitch a perfect game on acid.

But it wasn't a perfect game. He walked eight guys and hit another. I believe him.

 

Box Score

 

Snopes' take