On This Date in Sports September 18, 1999: The Rookie
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Jim Morris final realizes his dream of pitching in the majors as he makes his debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Morris had not been in professional baseball for a decade when he tried out for the Rays at the behest of a team he coached. The 35-year-old came on to face one batter, striking out Royce Clayton of the Texas Rangers, in a game Tamps lost 6-1 in Arlington.
Jim Morris was born on January 19, 1964, in Brownwood, Texas. His father was a career serviceman in the Navy, leading Morris to move around often as a child. Eventually, his family settled back in Brownwood, when his father took a job as a recruiter. Despite the local high school team not having a baseball program, Morris impressed enough scouts to get drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the secondary phase of the 1983 MLB Draft.
Jim Morris showed promise in his early career but became ravaged by injuries, as he missed the entire 1986 season. After struggling in his return, Morris was released by the Brewers in 1987, while not pitching above Single A. After sitting out the 1988 season, Morris signed with the Chicago White Sox. Once again, he was released after just two games in the low minors. With his career seemingly over and the dream of pitching in the majors dead, Jim Morris returned to Texas and got a job as a teacher.
While teaching at Regan County High School in Big Lake, Texas, Jim Morris became a coach for the baseball team. In 1999, Morris made a promise with his team that he would go for a tryout if they won the District Championship. After his team won, the 35-year-old left-handed pitcher went to a tryout with the Tampa Bay Devils Rays, an expansion team in their second season. The scouts were uninterested in letting Morris pitch but agreed to give him a chance so he could keep his promise to his team. To the surprise of everyone, Jim Morris, who had not pitched in a decade, was able to hit 98 on the radar gun. They would sign him and send him to AA, where he pitched with the Orlando Rays.
When Jim Morris made his first shot at baseball, he was beset with injuries and ineffectiveness as he was 17-22 with a 5.30 ERA in the low minors for the Brewers and White Sox. Now older and wiser, Morris was getting out players who were more than a decade younger than he was. After impressing at Orlando, Morris was sent up to pitch in AAA for the Durham Bulls. There he continued to impress as his story began to circulate. When the minor league season was over, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays decided to give him a call.
Jim Morris would make his debut in Texas, coming into get an out in the eighth inning of a game the Devils Rays trailed 6-1. Morris finally realizing his dream would strikeout Royce Clayton on four pitches. He would make four more appearances in 1999, allowing three runs in four and two-thirds innings work. Jim Morris continued to pitch for Tampa in 2000, appearing in 16 games with a 4.35 ERA before the arm injuries that ended his career in 1989 recurred in May. Jim Morris would attempt one last try at baseball in 2001 with the Los Angeles Dodgers but did not make the team out of Spring Training.
Jim Morris would not record a win or a loss in his 21 appearances in the majors, posting an ERA of 4.81 and 13 strikeouts. Morris’ story would become a book and a movie released by Disney entitled “The Rookie” in 2002. The film starred Dennis Quaid, who did not even have the slightest resemblance of Jim Morris.