Former big league pitcher Dave Morehead passed away last week, according to a report from J.P. Hoornstra of Newsweek. He was 82.
Morehead was a San Diego native who signed with the Red Sox as a 17-year-old. He was in the big leagues two years later, winning 10 games and pitching 174 2/3 innings in his age-19 season. The 6’1″ righty threw a complete game shutout with 10 strikeouts to beat the Washington Senators in his MLB debut. Morehead would go on to record 136 punchouts with a 3.81 earned run average in what was arguably the best season of his career.
He’d hold a rotation spot in Boston for the next two seasons. Morehead’s ERA spiked north of 4.00 in each of the next two years, though he started 30+ games and topped 130 strikeouts in both seasons. The highlight of his career came at the end of the ’65 season. Morehead fired a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Cleveland that September. He fanned eight and only allowed one baserunner (a second-inning walk to Rocky Colavito) to outduel Luis Tiant. It was the 14th no-hitter in franchise history.
Morehead battled injuries and was limited to a combined 33 regular season appearances over the next three seasons. The Sox won 92 games to claim the AL pennant in 1967. Morehead got into two games during the Fall Classic, working around four walks to toss 3 1/3 scoreless frames. Boston came up just short of a title, as Bob Gibson won three times to push the Cardinals to a seven-game Series win.
After the ’68 season, Morehead went to Kansas City in the expansion draft. He pitched two seasons with the Royals to finish his career. Morehead pitched to a 4.15 ERA with 627 strikeouts over 819 1/3 innings in parts of eight campaigns. MLBTR sends our condolences to Morehead’s family, friends and loved ones.
R.I.P Didn’t know who he was but that name is Hall Of Fame worthy.
Cohen – He was before my time, but I always remembered hearing his name because for more than 35 years he kept getting mentioned as the last Red Sox to pitch a no-hitter.
RIP Dave, thoughts and prayers to your loved ones.
Fever, didnt you think a wonderful ceremonial pitch would’ve been Richard Fitts to Dave Morehead or vice versa?
Tragedy the team goes without both in a matter of days.
Dave was before my time as well, hails from a whole different era. I always felt it was a shame one pitch that got away kept him from a perfect game.
So we lose Mr. Morehead, but his legacy lives on in Richard Lovelady, Brooks Pounders, and of course Richard Fitts.
RIP Dave and Godspeed.
@Nutmeg-Does your Mom know you right sheet like that
If a 19 year old Rookie threw a complete game shutout with 10 K’s in his debut in todays world his rc card would go for a million dollars.
It would never happen. He’d be pulled after five innings and 85 pitches.
So maybe if someone actually did it, it would go for $2m. RIP and prayers to the family.
dewey – So you’re saying Cora cost me $2M ….I have Connelly’s rookie card, he pitched 5 shutout innings with 11 K’s in his MLB debut.
Sucks they didn’t have pitch counts in 1965, I’d like to know how many Dave threw in the no-no.
Fever – Stories I saw put the number at 105 pitches.
Try out this source Fever:
vault.si.com/vault/1965/09/27/baseballs-week
I’ll take Dave’s word for it…
More than a few pitchers back then were overloaded as rookies and never quite the same. Reds rookie Wayne Simpson was arguably the best pitcher in the NL in 1970 – compared to Gibson and Seaver, and receiving his praise from Johnny Bench even years down the road.
Simpson was 20, with a record of 13-1 in July when his shoulder “popped”. Basically was shut down for the season and won just 22 games over the next six years.
More than a few pitchers also performed perfectly well after being “overused” as youngsters. For every Wayne Simpson there’s a Vida Blue, who had a 9 WAR, 300+ inning season as a 21 year-old and went on to throw over 3,000 innings with over 200 wins.
I would have led the story with the fact that Dave threw a no-hitter in 1965, out-dueling Luis Tiant.
My condolences to his family and friends.
I was nine years old and stunned that anyone would do that to my Tribe.
R.I.P
Here’s an interesting article about Morehead’s no-hitter, highlighted by some gamesmanship that took place in the ninth inning.
sabr.org/gamesproj/game/september-16-1965-bostons-…
Wonderful article with some “blast from the past” names. Thank you for sharing that!
How’d you MLBTR guys miss George Altman’s death a week or so ago? RIP, he was a good Cub, and then had another career in Japan.
They didn’t miss it. They wrote a very nice article about him. Locate the search bar.
Alan was probably too busy whining about something else to notice.
roob – Yep these guys don’t miss anything. If something happens, they write about it. They do an excellent job.
Even nine days after he dies and a week after Newsweek reports it, The Athletic and MLBTR will eventually get to it
excellent SABR article about Moorhead, even the footnotes were great. thx for the link
Morehead started in the first game I ever attended in Fenway Park on August 29, 1968.
He pitched just one inning against Oakland.
I remember thinking, “Wow, this guy threw a no-hitter, he must be badly hurt!”
Dick Ellsworth came on to pitch 8 innings for the 11-2 win.
Reggie Smith hit a grand slam, and Joe Foy had two HRs.
Great memories.
RIP.
Dave Morehead’s 162-game average of a 9-14 record with a 4.15 ERA might fetch him a 7-year $210M contract in today’s market.
RIP Mr Morehead 🙁
Those are some amazing moments. He truly lived his dream.
RIP.
I remember having his Topps 1967 baseball card. Back when we looked at the cards and didn’t just squirrel them away.
RIP sir.
I just remembered the stale gum 😂
RIP Mr. Morehead…
RIP
Two starts earlier he pitched a complete game 1-0 shutout.
I have a sweet 1971 Topps PSA graded 8 card of him on the Royals. Didn’t know that would be his last card.
I’m keeping my 1971 set out now as I have been pulling out cards left and right with all the players passing away.
Dang, didn’t know he’d pitched a recent shutout.
Thank you for that.
Yeah man they’re dying off.
Thank You for posting this. Thank You to all the commenters. Mr Moorhead must have really been something back in his early years. Too bad about his shoulder injury and his inability to control walks. If he had been around in this timespan, perhaps his shoulder could have been fixed and he’d have had a longer and more illustrious career.. RIP.
Craven Morehead.