California Pro Pitcher Once Threw A No-Hitter Tripping On Acid

The game of professional baseball is tough enough with a clear mind. A former championship-winning pitcher from Los Angeles has the trippy distinction of being the only one in the game to ever throw a no-hitter under the influence of LSD.

(DISCLAIMER: In no way does this author or company support or encourage drug use)

Growing up I played a lot of baseball. I was a pitcher for several years but never attempted to pursue the game past high school. I know what it's like to strike a batter out and also have one crush a monster home run off me.

At one point in the game, Ellis hilariously admitted he hallucinated so intensely that he thought former President Richard Nixon was catching for him and late guitarist Jimmy Hendrix was batting.

For those who don't know much about LSD, it's a very potent chemical with hallucinatory effects. It most commonly comes in the form of a tiny soaked piece of paper called an acid tab, or just a "tab." The drug was very popular between the 1960s and 1990s, and the average "trip" lasts anywhere between six and 10 hours; don't ask me how I know.

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In 1970, a Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher named Dock Ellis woke up on a day he thought he had off from pitching and took a tab of acid. Later in the morning, he learned he was scheduled to start a game against the San Diego Padres later in the afternoon.

Ellis wound up pitching a no-hitter, which means not a single player for the Padres got a hit off him through nine innings. He did, however, walk several batters and hit another one. Ellis achieved legendary status in the minds of baseball fans when he admitted to what he had done. He won 138 games in his career, had an earned run average of 3.46, and won a championship in 1971, according to baseball-reference.com.

At one point in the game, Ellis hilariously admitted he hallucinated so intensely he thought former President Richard Nixon was catching for him and late guitarist Jimmy Hendrix was batting. What a crazy trip that must have been, especially with thousands of fans looking on.