http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Dock Ellis, a right-handed pitcher who won 96 games for the Pirates from 1968-75, died of apparent liver disease on Friday at the USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to wife, Hjordis. He was 63.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis (17) is shown in Bradenton, Fla., in this Feb. 1974 AP file photo taken during spring training.
Ellis claimed in his autobiography, "Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball," that he was under the influence of the illegal hallucinogen LSD in 1970 when he threw a rare Pirates' no-hitter in a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.
But Chuck Tanner, who managed Ellis in 1979 when the pitcher returned to the Pirates for a brief stint and helped Pittsburgh reach the World Series, said Saturday he has always been skeptical about the LSD claim.
"It's a great story, but I don't believe it for a minute," Tanner said one of only seven no-hitters in Pirates history. "I've never believed it. Dock was one of those guys who loved the limelight and would do anything to get it."
Ellis performed in the era before baseball drug testing.
"No way could you pitch a no-hitter against those hitters on drugs," Tanner said of Ellis, who walked eight and hit a batter that night. "Here's what people forget: Dock was a good pitcher who could locate his fastball and get people out."
Ellis, who conducted the normal postgame interviews following the no-hitter, waited until his retirement to make his LSD claim.
Ellis, a 6-foot-3 right-handed power pitcher, went 138-119 and posted a 3.46 ERA during a 12-year career.
"He had good stuff, that's all I know," Tanner said. "He had good control of his fastball."
Ellis finished 19-9 in 1971, when the Pirates won the World Series. However, Ellis lost the opening game of the series to Baltimore Orioles ace Dave McNally.
Ellis pitched on four Pirates' NL East winners and started Opening Day three times (1971, '72 and '75).
In his only career All-Star Game appearance, in 1971, Ellis gave up a towering home run to Reggie Jackson off the light standard at Detroit's Tiger Stadium.
1975 Topps
Always capable of the unexpected — or outrageous — Ellis opened a game against Cincinnati in May 1974 by drilling Pete Rose in the ribs, Joe Morgan in the side and Dan Driessen in the back. After walking Tony Perez, Ellis delivered two consecutive pitches near Johnny Bench's head. Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh finally yanked Ellis out of the game.
In May 1972, Ellis was maced by a security guard at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati in a dispute that was settled out of court.
In August 1973, Ellis was ordered by Pirates officials to stop wearing hair curlers to the ballpark. Ellis began wearing curlers following an Ebony magazine article, he said.
Tanner said some pitchers preferred a few calm moments before a start. Not Ellis.
"He was hyper, always talking to everyone," Tanner said.
Ellis was 96-80 with the Pirates in the first half of his career, before joining the New York Yankees (18-9), Oakland (1-5), Texas (20-21) and the New York Mets (3-7).
The Pirates traded Ellis following the 1975 season to the Yankees for Doc Medich. Ellis went 17-8 in 1976 for the Yankees and won a start in the AL Championship Series against Kansas City.
Ellis, who was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, was on a transplant list when he died, according to ESPN.com.
Ellis served as a drug and alcohol abuse counselor and spokesman to baseball players and organizations during the past two decades, including the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the Black Athletes Foundation for Sickle Cell Research.
"It's a tremendous loss to the family," Hjordis Ellis said.
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