Jack Morris

The hometown hero who delivered a World Series title to Minnesota in 1991.

Jack Morris (born May 16, 1955) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in MLB between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers. Morris won 254 games throughout his career. He was a five-time All-Star (1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1991) and played on three World Series Championship teams (1984 Tigers, 1991 Minnesota Twins, and 1992 Toronto Blue Jays). Morris won the Babe Ruth Award in both 1984 and 1991, and was named World Series MVP in 1991. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Quick Facts

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right
Born: 16 May 1955
Birthplace: Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: July 26
Debut year: 1977
Debut team: Detroit Tigers

Lore & Background

In 1991, Morris signed a one-year contract with his hometown Minnesota Twins. He enjoyed another great season, posting 18 wins with a 3.43 ERA, and an even better postseason after Minnesota won the AL West. Morris won both of his starts over the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, and his team went on to face the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. Morris started for the Twins three times in the series, going 2–0 with a 1.17 ERA, making his final outing in the deciding Game 7.

In a postseason performance for the ages, the 36-year-old hurler threw 10 innings of shutout baseball against the Braves, as the Twins won the game 1–0 on a 10th-inning single by Gene Larkin that scored Dan Gladden. Morris was named the World Series MVP for his performance, and joined fellow pitcher Sandy Koufax as the only players to win the Babe Ruth Award twice. He holds the record for most wins by a Twin in a single postseason, with four in 1991.

Reader's Guide

Following the 1991 season, Morris signed a two-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. In the 1992 season, he earned 21 wins for the second time in his career (the first ever 20-win season for a Blue Jays pitcher) with only six losses, though he rode a wave of superior run support from his offense, given his 4.04 ERA that year. The Blue Jays reached the 1992 World Series against the Braves. Despite a subpar post-season performance (he went 0–3, including two World Series losses), Morris won a third World Series ring as Toronto beat Atlanta in six games.

He won a fourth ring in 1993, as the Blue Jays repeated as World Champions with a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. However, Morris was not a factor in the Blue Jays World Series repeat: he pitched poorly for the team in the regular season, finishing 7–12 with a 6.19 ERA, and was not used at all in the postseason due to a season-ending injury.

Did You Know?

He holds the major league record for consecutive opening day starts, with 14 (1980–1993).
He is the only pitcher with 2,000-plus strikeouts who did not face a single pitcher in his career.