Walter Edward "Big Ed" Morris (December 7, 1899 – March 3, 1932) was an American baseball player who was murdered. He was a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

in Major League who played in five seasons from to . Listed at , 185 lb., he batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

Early career

A native of

Foshee, Alabama Foshee is an unincorporated community in Escambia County, Alabama, United States between Brewton and Pollard on U.S. Route 29. Foshee was founded as a sawmill town and named after Stewart J. Foshee, who owned several sawmills in Escambia Coun ...

, Morris entered the majors in August 1922 with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, appearing for them in 12 innings of relief and did not have a decision. While pitching in the minors for Montgomery, he threw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

against Hershey. Morris returned to the major leagues in 1928, this time with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Later career

In 1928, Morris posted a 19–15 record with a 3.53

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Compa ...

and 104

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s in 257⅔ innings for the last-place Red Sox, being considered in the

American League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

vote. In 1929 he went 14-14 with a 4.45 ERA, before injuring his arm during a scuffle in a

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

hotel elevator. After that, he went 4-9 in 1930 and 5-7 in 1931. In a five-year career, Morris posted a 42–45 record with 256 strikeouts and a 4.19 ERA in 140 appearances, including 78 starts, 43

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s, two

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s, six saves, and 674.0 innings of work.

Death

Prior to 1932

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, some friends of Morris threw a going-away party for him in

Century, Florida Century is a town in Escambia County, Florida, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,713. It is part of the Pensacola– Ferry Pass– Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Century was founded in 1901 as a sawm ...

. The party got out of hand, and Morris got into an altercation with a gas station attendant who was at the tavern where the party was held. In the middle of the discussion, the man pulled out a knife and stabbed Morris in the chest. Morris was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and later died.

References

External links

Ed Morris
- Baseballbiography.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Ed 1899 births 1932 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Male murder victims Boston Red Sox players Chicago Cubs players People from Escambia County, Alabama Baseball players from Alabama People murdered in Florida Deaths by stabbing in Florida 1932 murders in the United States Nashville Vols players

Early career

Later career

Death

See also

References

External links