Drug addiction is a very serious topic and one of our nations biggest issues. This article in no way condones any type of substance use or abuse. But what if I told you a MLB pitcher pulled off one of the most impressive feats of his career high on a very unusual drug.

At any given moment there is controversy in the sports world. Don’t believe me? Turn on the television and see for yourself. Whether it is a substance abuse issue, domestic violence case or just athletes being athletes something is always occurring. Josh Gordon can’t stop smoking the reefer and there are constant accusations of PED (performance enhancing drugs) use in every sport. And unfortunately we lost one of our leagues greatest pitchers this year to due a suspected alcohol charged boat ride. However, this story is more enlightening. A Major League Baseball player, somehow, some way pitched a no hitter on LSD. Some pitchers go a whole a career without throwing a perfect game and this special talent, Dock Ellis, did it while hallucinating.

Dock thought it was day off so to combat his nasty hangover decided to drop some acid. He was with his girlfriend at the time and as she was flipping through the newspaper she realized Ellis was pitchiing that day. Instead of taking the day off, Dock went to work. Right when he arrived at San Diego Stadium he consumed a handful of uppers he called “Greenies” (Dexamyl) then he walked over to a pretty female fan of his only to score more uppers.

In this drug induced haze, Dock did the unthinkable. It wasn’t pretty, but he got the “no-no.” Ellis pegged a few batters, ran away from ground balls, and even “scored a touchdown” (tagged first and got someone out). Nobody suspected anything of him, because Ellis always acted like a lunatic on the mound. He struck out six batters, walked eight and a hit a few more batters. He also recalled a weird sense of euphoria. During the game he claimed, sometimes the ball felt small (like a golf ball) and sometimes it felt big (like a balloon).  He even stated that the umpire appeared to be Richard Nixon and one batter appeared  to be Jimmy Hendrix holding a guitar.

Dock Ellis might have had a drug problem, as he was rarely at the pitchers mound sober. Over time, his substance abuse caught up with him and reached out for help. During treatment his psychologist asked him to write down every drug he had ever used. He  named nearly every drug in the book. After this laundry list of chemicals was reviewed his psychologist informed him that he be classified suicidal. When his stint in rehab was up, he did a few talks, and even made a pretty good drug counselor.

Unfortunately, Dock Ellis is no longer with us. He died from cirrhosis a liver ailment. This type of illness usually comes from excessive drinking. Ellis is a legend and will forever be remembered for his outlandish behavior, and wild stories such as the “no-no” on acid. Drug addiction is an epidemic today but thankfully there are rehab centers in California, Florida and other states popular for recovery, that can help people recover from this disease. Say “no-no” to drugs.