Dock Ellis Passes
Posted by Steve L. on December 20th, 2008 · Comments (1)
Dock Ellis passed away yesterday. (Hat tip to BBTF.) Few realize this, but, while Ellis was best known for his days with the Pirates, he was a member of one of the best Yankees starting rotations in terms of wins. Via Baseball-Reference.com’s Play Index Pitching Season Finder, here are the only Yankees teams where more than one starting pitcher had 17+ wins. As you can see, the 1976 trio of Catfish Hunter, Ed Figueroa and Dock Ellis were workhorses for Billy Martin that season.
Year Number Pitchers 1927 4 Wilcy Moore / Waite Hoyt / H. Pennock / Ur. Shocker 1923 4 Sam Jones / Waite Hoyt / Joe Bush / Herb Pennock 2003 3 Andy Pettitte / Roger Clemens / Mike Mussina 1976 3 Catfish Hunter / Ed Figueroa / Dock Ellis 1963 3 Ralph Terry / Jim Bouton / Whitey Ford 1951 3 Allie Reynolds / Vic Raschi / Ed Lopat 1932 3 Lefty Gomez / Red Ruffing / Johnny Allen 1928 3 George Pipgras / Waite Hoyt / Herb Pennock 1924 3 Waite Hoyt / Herb Pennock / Joe Bush 1922 3 Bob Shawkey / Joe Bush / Waite Hoyt 1921 3 Carl Mays / Waite Hoyt / Bob Shawkey 1920 3 Carl Mays / Jack Quinn / Bob Shawkey 2006 2 Chien-Ming Wang / Randy Johnson 2002 2 Mike Mussina / David Wells 2001 2 Mike Mussina / Roger Clemens 1998 2 David Cone / David Wells 1980 2 Ron Guidry / Tommy John 1979 2 Tommy John / Ron Guidry 1978 2 Ed Figueroa / Ron Guidry 1974 2 Pat Dobson / Doc Medich 1969 2 Mel Stottlemyre / Fritz Peterson 1968 2 Stan Bahnsen / Mel Stottlemyre 1964 2 Whitey Ford / Jim Bouton 1962 2 Ralph Terry / Whitey Ford 1956 2 Johnny Kucks / Whitey Ford 1955 2 Whitey Ford / Bob Turley 1950 2 Ed Lopat / Vic Raschi 1949 2 Vic Raschi / Allie Reynolds 1948 2 Vic Raschi / Ed Lopat 1938 2 Lefty Gomez / Red Ruffing 1937 2 Lefty Gomez / Red Ruffing 1936 2 Monte Pearson / Red Ruffing 1934 2 Lefty Gomez / Red Ruffing 1926 2 Urban Shocker / Herb Pennock 1915 2 Ray Caldwell / Ray Fisher 1910 2 Russ Ford / Jack Quinn 1906 2 Jack Chesbro / Al Orth 1905 2 Jack Chesbro / Al Orth 1904 2 Jack Chesbro / Jack Powell
R.I.P. Dock.
Damn. I knew he had been sick for a while.
I read his biography “Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball,” and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it ended at his trade to the Yanks. It would’ve been really cool to have documented his time with the Yanks (I think a follow up was released a few years later). He cleaned himself up and became a drug counselor, I think.
IIRC, he only lasted a year + in NY. Butted heads with Steinbrenner, IIRC. Some of his stuff can be found in the book “The Best Team Money Can Buy” (some things never change, WRT theme, eh?)