Walter Edward "Big Ed" Morris (December 7, 1899 – March 3, 1932) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player who died after being stabbed in an altercation at a party. 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 and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...

Early career

A native of Foshee, Alabama, 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 a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, 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 or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Later career

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

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

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 means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 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. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers' ...

vote. In 1929, he went 14-14 with a 4.45 ERA. 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 (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s, six saves, and 674.0 innings of work.

Death

Prior to 1932

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

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

Century, Florida Century is a town in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County, Florida, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,713, up from 1,698 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola&nd ...

. 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

Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Ed 1899 births 1932 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers 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 People murdered in 1932 Nashville Vols players Chattanooga Lookouts players Mobile Bears players Bradenton Growers players 20th-century American sportsmen

Early career

Later career

Death

See also

References

External links