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Dock Phillip Ellis
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher
Born: March 11, 1945, Los Angeles, CA
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, January 14, 1964
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1968-75; New York Yankees 1976-77; Oakland Athletics 1977; Texas Rangers 1977-79; New York Mets 1979; Pittsburgh Pirates 1979
World Series Appearances: Pittsburgh Pirates 1971; New York Yankees 1976
Died: December 19, 2008, Los Angeles, CA (age 63)
Dock Ellis pitched in a dozen major league seasons, primarily with the Pirates, where he was an All-Star in 1971 and helped lead the team to five pennants in six seasons between 1970 and 1975. On June 12, 1970, Ellis threw a no-hitter against the Padres, later admitting he threw the game while under the influence of LSD. Ellis' best season statistically came in 1971 as he was 19-9 with a 3.06 ERA in 31 starts. He threw a career-high 226 2/3 innings, striking out 137 as the Pirates eventually defeated the Orioles in the World Series. Ellis was also the starting pitcher for the National League in that year's All-Star Game.
He had a number of memorable run-ins throughout his career both on and off the field, and admittedly struggled with substance abuse. Dealt to the Yankees following the 1975 season, largely in part to a complete fall-out with Pirates' manager Danny Murtaugh, Ellis was a 17 game winner for the Yankees in 1976 and pitched in his second World Series. He won American League Comeback Player of the Year honors for his first season in the Bronx. Following his criticism of Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner, Ellis was on the move again before the 1977 season, this time shipped to Oakland. He finished up his playing days with the A's, Rangers, Mets and a brief return trip to the Pirates. In 345 career games, Ellis was 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA and 1,136 strikeouts in 2,128 inning pitched.
Died: December 19, 2008, Los Angeles, CA (age 63)
Dock Ellis pitched in a dozen major league seasons, primarily with the Pirates, where he was an All-Star in 1971 and helped lead the team to five pennants in six seasons between 1970 and 1975. On June 12, 1970, Ellis threw a no-hitter against the Padres, later admitting he threw the game while under the influence of LSD. Ellis' best season statistically came in 1971 as he was 19-9 with a 3.06 ERA in 31 starts. He threw a career-high 226 2/3 innings, striking out 137 as the Pirates eventually defeated the Orioles in the World Series. Ellis was also the starting pitcher for the National League in that year's All-Star Game.
He had a number of memorable run-ins throughout his career both on and off the field, and admittedly struggled with substance abuse. Dealt to the Yankees following the 1975 season, largely in part to a complete fall-out with Pirates' manager Danny Murtaugh, Ellis was a 17 game winner for the Yankees in 1976 and pitched in his second World Series. He won American League Comeback Player of the Year honors for his first season in the Bronx. Following his criticism of Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner, Ellis was on the move again before the 1977 season, this time shipped to Oakland. He finished up his playing days with the A's, Rangers, Mets and a brief return trip to the Pirates. In 345 career games, Ellis was 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA and 1,136 strikeouts in 2,128 inning pitched.
Building the Set / Card #611
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)
On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show. The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year. I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova. I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.
I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set. My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table. I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2. I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4.
I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop. This was the 17th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 52nd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day. Sleeved, this card cost less than $2 after a dealer discount, a bargain for the rookie card of a relatively well-known pitcher from his era.
The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is Ellis' rookie card, and given the player boycott of Topps during the 1967-68 seasons, it's impressive Topps was able to get a picture of him in his Pirates uniform. His minor league successes are highlighted on the back of the card. I was surprised to see this card has never been reprinted.
Accuracy Index: Ellis' rookie card earns a +5.
1969 Season
Ellis made his debut with the Pirates in 1968, and earned a spot in their pitching rotation out of spring training in 1969. He was 11-17 with a 3.58 ERA in 35 games, including 33 starts. Ellis struck out a career-high 173 batters, second on the club behind the 213 strikeouts from Bob Veale (#520).
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First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #286
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1969-80
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2021-22 Topps Project70 #874
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 82 in the Beckett online database as of 1/6/26.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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