John Daniel Morris (born February 23, 1961), is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

, who played seven seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, Philadelphia Phillies, and California Angels.

Amateur career

Morris attended

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the ...

, where he played baseball for the Pirates under head coach Mike Sheppard. In 1981, Morris played collegiate summer baseball for the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). He batted .410 and set a league record for runs scored in a season. Morris was named the league's MVP, and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2007.

Professional career

Morris was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round of the 1982 amateur draft. Morris won the

Southern League Most Valuable Player Award The Southern League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Southern League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. League broadcasters, Minor Leag ...

. He played in the Royals organization until May , when he was traded to the Cardinals for outfielder Lonnie Smith. In , after coming back from surgery for a ruptured disc, Morris was limited to 38 at-bats, for the Cardinals. In , while playing with the Philadelphia Phillies, Morris was mired in a 20-game hitless streak. Then, on September 1, he entered the game in the eighth inning, as a pinch-runner, scoring the tying run and remaining in the game, playing center field. When Morris led off the 10th inning,

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

Mark Wohlers Mark Edward Wohlers (born January 23, 1970) is a former professional baseball pitcher. A right-hander, he played all or parts of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, exclusively as a relief pitcher. He is best known for his years with the Atlanta ...

, hardly knew what hit him: Morris came through, hitting a game-winning walk-off

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, leading the Phillies to a 5-4 victory.

References

External links

John Morris
at Baseball Almanac 1961 births Living people All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from New York (state) California Angels players Cincinnati Reds scouts Edmonton Trappers players Fort Myers Royals players Jacksonville Suns players Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball outfielders Omaha Royals players People from Freeport, New York Philadelphia Phillies players St. Louis Cardinals players Seton Hall Pirates baseball players Wareham Gatemen players {{US-baseball-outfielder-1960s-stub