Dock Ellis

Lore & Background

Ellis threw a no-hitter on June 12, 1970, and later stated that he accomplished the feat while under the influence of LSD. Ellis was the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game in 1971. Joining the Yankees in 1976, he helped lead the team to the American League pennant, and was named the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. Ellis was an outspoken advocate for the rights of players and African Americans. He had a substance abuse problem, and acknowledged after his retirement that he had never pitched without the use of drugs. After going into treatment, Ellis remained sober and devoted the remainder of his life to counseling others with substance use disorder in treatment centers and prisons. He died of a liver ailment at age 63 in 2008.

In Their Own Story

The July sun over Three Rivers Stadium was the kind that made the blacktop in the parking lot shimmer. Ellis stood on the mound, glove low, and stared at the Cubs' lineup like they owed him money. The crowd was a sea of t-shirts and flags, a holiday crowd, and somewhere in the infield grass a kid was eating a hot dog with both hands. Ellis wound up. The ball left his hand with a sound like a backhand slap. The batter swung through it. The catcher's mitt was empty. The umpire called nothing. Ellis did not look back. He looked at the sky, then at the crowd, then back at the batter, and the whole thing had the quality of a man performing a trick he'd only done once before and wasn't sure he could do again. The Pirates would win. The game would be written about for fifty years. And Ellis, by the time the last out was recorded, was already thinking about what he was going to have for dinner.

Reader's Guide

Born in Los Angeles, California, Ellis attended Gardena High School in Gardena. At age 14, he began drinking alcohol and using drugs. He played baseball as an infielder for a local semi-professional team called the Pittsburgh Pirates Rookies. Ellis refused to play for the Gardena High School baseball team because a baseball player referred to him as a 'spearchucker'. When he was caught drinking and smoking marijuana in a high school bathroom during his senior year, the school agreed not to expel him if he agreed to play for the school's baseball team. He appeared in four games and was named all-league. Ellis then attended Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC), a junior college. He was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia at age 17; the diagnosis was later changed to sickle cell trait. Ellis made his MLB debut in June 1968 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He no-hit the San Diego Padres on June 12, 1970, while reportedly under the influence of LSD. Ellis said he never used LSD during the season again, though he continued to use amphetamines.

Did You Know?

• Ellis threw a no-hitter on June 12, 1970, while under the influence of LSD.
• He was the starting pitcher for the National League in the 1971 All-Star Game.
• Ellis acknowledged after retirement that he never pitched a game without using drugs.
• He died of a liver ailment at age 63 in 2008.