Dock Ellis

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1968-1979)

Dock Ellis was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1979 for 5 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 12 seasons. Across 345 career appearances, he went 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA and 1,136 strikeouts. He also batted .133 with 0 home runs. Dock Ellis was an All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 15636.2.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 138–119
ERA 3.46
WHIP 1.29
SO 1,136
Pitcher PIV 15636.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 205 lb
Born
3/11/1945 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Died
12/19/2008 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1968-06-18
Last Game
1979-09-29
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Dock Phillip Ellis

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Career Pitching Statistics

Dock Ellis — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
138 119 345 317 71 14 1 2127.2 2,067 817 140 674 1,136 3.46 15636.2

Career ERA 3.46 vs. league average 3.64 across their career seasons — 5.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dock Ellis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1968 PIT NL 6 5 26 10 2 0 0 104.0 82 29 38 52 2.51 2.98 (+16%) -73.0
1969 PIT NL 11 17 35 33 8 2 0 218.2 206 87 76 173 3.58 3.61 (+1%) 4322.7
1970 PIT NL 13 10 30 30 9 4 0 201.2 194 72 87 128 3.21 3.89 (+17%) 2592.6
1971 PIT NL 19 9 31 31 11 2 0 226.2 207 77 63 137 3.06 3.47 (+12%) 2999.9
1972 PIT NL 15 7 25 25 4 1 0 163.1 156 49 33 96 2.70 3.26 (+17%) 3805.8
1973 PIT NL 12 14 28 28 3 1 0 192.0 176 65 55 122 3.05 3.75 (+19%) 5109.9
1974 PIT NL 12 9 26 26 9 0 0 176.2 163 62 41 91 3.16 3.63 (+13%) 1407.9
1975 PIT NL 8 9 27 24 5 2 0 140.0 163 59 43 69 3.79 3.71 (-2%) 1036.6
1976 NYA AL 17 8 32 32 8 1 0 211.2 195 75 76 65 3.19 3.51 (+9%) -2634.9
1977 NYA AL 1 1 3 3 1 0 0 19.2 18 4 8 5 1.83 4.00 (+54%) -55.3
1977 OAK AL 1 5 7 7 0 0 0 26.0 35 28 14 11 9.69 4.00 (-142%) -1380.7
1977 TEX AL 10 6 23 22 7 1 1 167.1 158 54 42 90 2.90 4.00 (+27%) 2480.5
1978 TEX AL 9 7 22 22 3 0 0 141.1 131 66 46 45 4.20 3.69 (-14%) -2330.8
1979 TEX AL 1 5 10 9 0 0 0 46.2 64 31 16 10 5.98 4.00 (-49%) -843.5
1979 NYN NL 3 7 17 14 1 0 0 85.0 110 57 34 41 6.04 4.00 (-51%) -801.6
1979 PIT NL 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 7.0 9 2 2 1 2.57 — 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 138 119 345 317 71 14 1 2,127.2 2,067 817 674 1,136 3.46 — 15,636

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Dock Ellis — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
388 489 42 65 4 0 0 23 4 27 201 .133 .178 .141 .319 -3,105

Career AVG .133 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 47.7% below league average.

Career OBP .178 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 44.5% below league average.

Career SLG .141 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 62.3% below league average.

Career OPS .319 vs. league average .695 across their career seasons — 54.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dock Ellis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1968 PIT NL 27 29 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 11 .069 — — — — 0.0
1969 PIT NL 37 68 2 6 0 0 0 1 0 2 40 .088 .248 (-64%) .320 (-64%) .369 (-76%) .689 (-71%) -733.3
1970 PIT NL 38 70 9 7 1 0 0 1 1 2 37 .100 .253 (-61%) .325 (-62%) .385 (-70%) .711 (-66%) -731.8
1971 PIT NL 44 79 11 16 0 0 0 12 2 6 29 .203 .249 (-19%) .316 (-18%) .365 (-45%) .682 (-32%) -369.2
1972 PIT NL 36 59 6 9 0 0 0 1 0 1 22 .153 .243 (-37%) .310 (-46%) .353 (-57%) .664 (-52%) -451.7
1973 PIT NL 29 65 2 7 0 0 0 0 1 2 32 .108 .256 (-58%) .325 (-59%) .378 (-72%) .703 (-66%) -661.8
1974 PIT NL 30 56 6 12 1 0 0 4 0 8 15 .214 .256 (-17%) .324 (-4%) .369 (-37%) .693 (-21%) -157.4
1975 PIT NL 30 36 3 4 1 0 0 1 0 5 8 .111 — — — — 0.0
1976 NYA AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 NYA AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 OAK AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 TEX AL 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 TEX AL 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 TEX AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 NYN NL 17 26 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 .077 — — — — 0.0
1979 PIT NL 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 388 489 42 65 4 0 0 23 4 27 201 .133 — — — — -3,105

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Dock Ellis — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Dock Ellis — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1976 ALCS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1976 WS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1975 NLCS PIT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1972 NLCS PIT 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1971 NLCS PIT 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
1971 WS PIT 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1970 NLCS PIT 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Dock Ellis — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 4 7 6 0 35.1 39 16 12 14 4.08

Playoff Pitching by Year

Dock Ellis — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1976 ALCS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 8.0 6 3 2 5 3.38
1976 WS NYA 0 1 1 1 0 3.1 7 4 0 1 10.80
1975 NLCS PIT 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 2 0 0 2 0.00
1972 NLCS PIT 0 1 1 1 0 5.0 5 0 1 3 0.00
1971 NLCS PIT 1 0 1 1 0 5.0 6 2 4 1 3.60
1971 WS PIT 0 1 1 1 0 2.1 4 4 1 1 15.43
1970 NLCS PIT 0 1 1 1 0 9.2 9 3 4 1 2.79

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (733 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Dock Ellis — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2042452027010.110
Away1842442238013.156

Pitching — Home / Away

Dock Ellis — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1781091.210133583166042.95
Away1671036.110544593585323.99

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dock Ellis — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1979-09-29 PITCHCL 000000000
1979-09-27 PITSTLL 000000000
1979-09-24 PITWSNL 100000000
1979-09-19 NYNWSNL 000000000
1979-09-08 NYNPITW 000000000
1979-09-04 NYNWSNL 200000000
1979-08-28 NYNATLL 200000000
1979-08-19 NYNCINL 200000001
1979-08-14 NYNATLW 210000001
1979-08-09 NYNSTLL 200000002

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Dock Ellis — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1979-09-29 PITCHC — 1.0100000
1979-09-27 PITSTL — 2.0300110
1979-09-24 PITWSN — 4.0522101
1979-09-19 NYNWSN — 2.0000200
1979-09-08 NYNPIT W 3.0300200
1979-09-04 NYNWSN L 5.2855330
1979-08-28 NYNATL L 7.01044341
1979-08-19 NYNCIN — 4.2955330
1979-08-14 NYNATL — 2.2455123
1979-08-09 NYNSTL L 7.0943210

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dock Ellis — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 345 317 173 287 23 26

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dock Ellis — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 PIT P 26 10 5 18 0 2
1969 PIT P 35 33 15 35 3 2
1970 PIT P 30 30 21 34 2 3
1971 PIT P 31 31 22 32 2 1
1972 PIT P 25 25 16 15 0 2
1973 PIT P 28 28 16 30 1 3
1974 PIT P 26 26 14 22 4 2
1975 PIT P 27 24 8 16 2 4
1976 NYA P 32 32 19 20 3 0
1977 NYA P 3 3 1 2 0 0
1977 OAK P 7 7 1 3 0 0
1977 TEX P 23 22 15 16 3 4
1978 TEX P 22 22 11 22 2 2
1979 TEX P 10 9 2 8 1 0
1979 NYN P 17 14 7 13 0 1
1979 PIT P 3 1 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dock Ellis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 345

Awards & Honors

Dock Ellis — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1976 TSN Comeback Player of the Year

Award Voting History

Dock Ellis — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Cy Young Award NL 4th 9.0 120 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Dock Ellis (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Charlie Leibrandt
    140-119, 3.71 ERA
  2. 96
    Dennis Leonard
    144-106, 3.70 ERA
  3. 96
    John Denny
    123-108, 3.59 ERA
  4. 91
    Joaquin Andujar
    127-118, 3.58 ERA
  5. 91
    Mike Boddicker
    134-116, 3.80 ERA
  6. 91
    Doc Medich
    124-105, 3.78 ERA

Dock Ellis: the record in brief

June 18, 1968 and September 29, 1979 bracket Dock Ellis's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Ellis played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1968 through 1979), the New York Yankees (1976 through 1977), the Oakland Athletics (1977), the Texas Rangers (1977 to 1979), and the New York Mets (1979). Ellis, a pitcher by primary position, batted from both sides and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6 feet, 3 inches and 205 pounds. The birth record reads March 11, 1945, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Ellis died on December 19, 2008, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Ellis's full given name, per the bio, is Dock Phillip Ellis.

Ellis went 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA in 345 games, 317 of them starts. Ellis had 1,136 strikeouts, 71 complete games, and 14 shutouts. That 3.46 ERA compares with a 3.64 league average across the same seasons, 5.1% better. Ellis won 19 games in 1971, the most of any season listed. 1969 produced Ellis's most strikeouts, 173.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dock Ellis

What years did Dock Ellis play?
Dock Ellis played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1979.
Was Dock Ellis a pitcher?
Yes. Dock Ellis pitched in the major leagues, recording 138 wins and 1136 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Dock Ellis hit?
Dock Ellis hit 0 career home runs with 65 hits.
What teams did Dock Ellis play for?
Dock Ellis played for 5 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1968–1975, 1979), the New York Yankees (1976–1977), the Oakland Athletics (1977), the Texas Rangers (1977–1979), and the New York Mets (1979).
Did Dock Ellis win a Cy Young Award?
No. Dock Ellis did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Dock Ellis win?
Dock Ellis was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Dock Ellis's career stats?
In 345 games, Dock Ellis went 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA, 1,136 strikeouts, 2,127.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 65 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Dock Ellis play?
Dock Ellis played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dock Ellis and how much did he weigh?
Dock Ellis was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 205 pounds.
What was Dock Ellis's career ERA?
Dock Ellis finished with a 3.46 career ERA, going 138-119 with 1,136 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Dock Ellis have?
Dock Ellis recorded 1,136 career strikeouts.
Is Dock Ellis in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dock Ellis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Dock Ellis make?
Dock Ellis was selected to 1 All-Star Game.