Boston Red Sox History: Ed Morris Killed in Bar Fight
By David Hill
A fairly solid pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, Ed Morris was on his way to Spring Training when his friends threw him a going away party. Those festivities took a dark turn.
Ed Morris was a decent pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Finally given a chance at the Major League level in 1928, six years after his five game trial with the Cubs, Morris shined. He posted a 19-15 record with five saves as he split his time between the rotation and bullpen. Morris was effective in either role, with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.300 WHiP. That performance earned Morris several MVP votes, and he tied with four other players to finish 15th in the balloting.
While he never again performed that well, Morris was still a solid pitcher. Typically serving as both a starter and reliever, he was a good arm who could fulfill whatever role the Red Sox needed. He was a valuable pitcher, and considering that Boston had an offer of nearly $100,000 from the Yankees for his services, others around the league felt the same way.
Unfortunately, his career, and life, were cut short. With Morris about to head to Spring Training, his friends threw him a going away party on March 1,1932 in Century, Florida. The local tavern that Morris and his friends frequented had a fish fry in his honor, and as can be the case, the festivities began to get out of control.
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That led to Morris getting into a spat with another patron at the bar. The two began to fight, when the other person pulled out a knife and stabbed Morris twice in the chest. On this day, two days after his party, Morris succumbed to his wounds, passing away at 32 years of age.
At the time, the Red Sox were not in a good stretch. They had finished last in the American League in ten out of twelve years, with that 1931 campaign resulting in their best finish: sixth. In 1932, the Red Sox, perhaps still feeling the effects of Morris’ death, had their worst season in franchise history, going 43-111.
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Ed Morris was a solid pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, and one of their better arms during a particularly rough stretch. On this day in 1932, he succumbed to wounds he received at his going away party two days before.