Samuel Joseph Ellis (February 11, 1941 – May 13, 2016) was an American

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 professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. He played 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

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

, and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. Ellis was an

MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

in 1965.

College career

Born in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

, Ellis was signed by the

as an amateur free agent in 1961 after playing college baseball at

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

(MSU) for the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

. At Mississippi State, he lettered one year (1961) with a pitching record of 12–7, leading the team in strikeouts (73) and

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

(57). He was named to MSU's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

Professional career

Ellis made his major league debut at the start of the 1962 season. His first appearance was on April 14, 1962, which he lost. His first victory came 10 days later on April 24, when he walked 11 batters but only allowed one hit. After spending part of the 1962 and all of the 1963 season in the minors, Ellis rejoined the major league club in 1964 as a reliever. He finished the season with a 10–3 record, a 2.57

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA), pitched 52 games, and threw fewer walks in those 52 games (28) than he did in 1962 in 8 games (29). In 1965, Ellis made his only All-Star appearance. He won 22 games, including 15 complete starts and two shutouts, while posting an ERA of 3.79. He led the major leagues with 111 earned runs allowed. His walk total was down in 1966, but he finished the season with a 12–19 record, and also led the league in home runs allowed (35) and earned runs allowed (130). He remained part of the starting pitching rotation in 1967 and brought his ERA back down under 4.00. After the 1967 season, on November 29, 1967, Ellis was traded to the

for pitchers Bill Kelso and Jorge Rubio. He played in California for one season, where his role was mixed. He started 24 games, but also worked some games in relief and notched two saves. On January 20, 1969, Ellis was traded to the

for

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...

Bill Voss William Edward Voss (born October 31, 1943) is a retired professional baseball player who played eight seasons for the Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. H ...

and minor leaguer Andy Rubilotta. Ellis was traded again in June, this time to the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

for

Jack Hamilton. However, he was sent to the minors, ending up with the

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...

in 1970 and the Birmingham A's in 1971, and was unable to make it back to the majors.

Coaching career

After retiring, Ellis worked as a Major League

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for a dozen seasons, having stints with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

(1982–84; 1986),

(1989–91),

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 locate ...

(1992),

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

(1993–94),

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 eig ...

(1996) and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

(2000). Sinkerball pitcher

Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians ...

credited Ellis with helping him work out some problems with his delivery in 1982. After watching John throw for 40 to 50 minutes a day for several days, Ellis observed, "I always recall seeing you pitch with your hand laid back like you're gonna throw a pie." John adjusted his delivery accordingly and began pitching better.

Death

Ellis was a long time resident of

Temple Terrace, Florida Temple Terrace is an incorporated city in northeastern Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, adjacent to Tampa. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 26,690. It is the third and smallest incorporated municipality in Hillsb ...

, where he died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

on May 13, 2016, at the age of 75.Former big league pitcher Sammy Ellis dies at 75
. ''The Associated Press''. Retrieved on May 15, 2016.

References

External links

o
Baseball Almanac
o

o
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
* : {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Sammy 1941 births 2016 deaths Baltimore Orioles coaches Baseball players from Youngstown, Ohio Birmingham A's players Boston Red Sox coaches California Angels players Deaths from cancer in Florida Chicago Cubs coaches Chicago White Sox coaches Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Columbia Reds players Indianapolis Indians players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball players National League All-Stars New York Yankees coaches Portland Beavers players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Seattle Mariners coaches Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players People from Temple Terrace, Florida