Nolan Ryan might have pitched seven no-hitters. But he never pitched one on acid. Dock Ellis gets the W.
Ellis was a Pirate from 1968-75 and briefly in 1979. He tossed a no-hitter at San Diego on June 12, 1970 – 50 years ago today.
Ellis pitched that no-no under the influence of LSD. (LSD has a considerable influence.)
That’s a herculean feat. That’s the greatest no-hitter ever.
Check out the clips below. For further edification, watch the 2014 film “No No: A Dockumentary.”
A review of “No No” describes Ellis thusly: “If he wasn't able to actually change the system, [Ellis] was at least happy with giving it the middle finger."
That sounds right. Ellis was a black activist. He wore hair curlers in the bullpen. After baseball, Ellis was a drug counselor.
Ellis was superbad. Never more so than on June 12, 1970.
Dock Ellis passed away on Dec. 19, 2008. He was a true original. He is missed.
Thumbnail via Getty Images.