Ed Morris

Edward "Cannonball" Morris (September 29, 1862 – April 12, 1937) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Columbus Buckeyes, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, and Pittsburgh Burghers from 1884 to 1890 and had a career win–loss record of 171–122.

Early life Morris was born in Brooklyn in 1862. The left-handed pitcher started his professional baseball career in 1879. From 1879 to 1883, Morris played in the Pacific League, New California League, California League, League Alliance, and Interstate Association. In 1883, with the Interstate Association's Reading Actives, he had 199.2 innings pitched and went 16–6 with a 1.80 earned run average (ERA), and 140 strikeouts; he also played as an outfielder and had a .300 batting average.

Major league career In 1884, Morris made his major league debut with the Columbus Buckeyes of the American Association (AA). That season, he had 429.2 innings pitched and went 34–13 with a 2.18 ERA and 302 strikeouts. He ranked third in the AA in ERA. On May 29, he pitched a no-hitter in a 5–0 win over the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.

The Alleghenys purchased Morris in October 1884. In 1885, Morris had 581 innings pitched and went 39–24 with a 2.35 ERA and 298 strikeouts. He led the league in games pitched (63), games started (63), complete games (63), innings pitched, strikeouts, and shutouts (7). He also ranked second in wins and third in ERA.

Later life After his baseball career ended, Morris worked as a deputy warden at a Pennsylvania prison. He died in Pittsburgh in 1937 and was buried in Union Dale Cemetery, Pittsburgh.