Editing Dock Ellis (section)

====June 12, 1970 no-hitter====
On June 12, 1970, Ellis [[no-hitter|no-hit]] the [[San Diego Padres]], 2–0, in the first game of a [[Doubleheader (baseball)|two-game doubleheader]] at [[SDCCU Stadium|San Diego Stadium]], while reportedly under the influence of [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]].<ref name=ergsald>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dKpVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6446%2C3036007 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |last=Salading|first=Tom |title=Pirates' Dock Ellis gets no-hitter|date=June 13, 1970 |page=1B}}</ref> After the Pirates had flown to San Diego on Thursday, June 11, Ellis visited a friend in Los Angeles and used LSD "two or three times". Thinking it was still Thursday, he took a hit of LSD on Friday at noon, and his friend's girlfriend reminded him at 2:00&nbsp;p.m. that he was scheduled to pitch that night. Ellis flew from Los Angeles to San Diego at 3:00&nbsp;p.m. and arrived at the stadium at 4:30&nbsp;p.m.; the game started at 6:05&nbsp;p.m.<ref name=erglsd84/><ref name="couldn't pitch without pills"/>

Ellis said that he threw the no-hitter despite being unable to feel the ball or see the batter or catcher clearly.<ref>{{YouTube|_vUhSYLRw14|No Mas Presents: Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No by James Blagden}}</ref> He also said that his catcher [[Jerry May (baseball)|Jerry May]] wore reflective tape on his fingers, which helped Ellis see May's signals. Ellis walked eight batters and struck out six, and he was aided by excellent fielding plays by second baseman [[Bill Mazeroski]] and centerfielder [[Matty Alou]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Roundup: Ellis of Pirates Stops Padres on No-Hitter | work=The New York Times | date=June 12, 1970 | author=Goldaper, Sam}}</ref>

As Ellis recounted:

{{blockquote|I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the [catcher's] glove, but I didn't hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters, and the bases were loaded two or three times.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Ellis Says He Used LSD Before Hurling '70 No-Hitter|url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/ypr5me0klo27ued |access-date=6 June 2020|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|date=8 April 1984}}</ref> The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes, I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn't hit hard and never reached me.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barnes|first=Mike (UPI)|title=Dock Ellis: The Muhammad Ali of Baseball; Pitched Most Days High On 'Uppers'|url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/hqns56bb4ah3usw |access-date=6 June 2020|newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen|date=21 June 1989}}</ref>}}

Ellis reported that he never used LSD during the season again, though he continued to use amphetamines.<ref name="couldn't pitch without pills"/> After the story was made public, Ellis said that he regretted taking LSD that day because it "robbed him of his greatest professional memory".<ref name=NYPost2014>{{cite news|last=Getlen|first=Larry|title=How Dock Ellis dropped acid and threw a no-hitter|url=https://nypost.com/2014/08/31/pitcher-dock-ellis-dropped-acid-then-threw-a-no-hitter |access-date=26 February 2013|newspaper=New York Post|date=31 August 2014}}</ref>