It’s not often that you hear about an athlete taking a recreational drug during a game and then excelling. Taking a psychedelic is a whole new level. Imagine tripping on some LSD whilst in a stadium full of baseball fans, playing a MLB game...
Doing all that AND having one hell of a game. That’s exactly what Dock Ellis did on 12 June, 1970.
His strong stance on equality and willingness to stand up for victims of racism were well documented. He refused to play on his high school team as the coach was, he believed, a racist. Whilst in the minors, he took a bat to stand against a heckler who had been using racist language.
These aren’t the foremost headlines of Ellis's career. Nor was it when he targeted his pitches directly at Cincinnati Reds players. No, this revelation came years after his career. He had a 'no-hitter'.
Despite his pitching being wild, hitting a batter and giving eight walks, having a no-hitter is incredible (a no-hitter being when the opposition scores no home runs).
Ellis eventually revealed that it was a result of the LSD he was on. He had been at home, believing that he had no game that day. However, his then-girlfriend picked up the newspaper and realised he in fact had double-header, and was set to start the first game.
By 4:30pm, Ellis found himself San Diego, 'ready' for the game. He pitched a complete game, and went unnoticed by the coaches and other players.
It holds an air of question, as only Ellis himself will know whether he really did take the mind-altering drug. Even with the skill professionals have, to play at the highest level on LSD is a tall order, and so it remains slightly suspicious.
Regardless, it’s a brilliant story and one I’d like to believe is true. One has to wonder how much better Messi may be with some magic mushrooms?
To learn more about this interesting story, you can watch No No: A Dockumentary on Netflix or other streaming services.
Comments