Ellis made his major league debut at the start of the 1962 season. His first appearance was on April 14, 1962, which he lost.[1] His first victory came 10 days later on April 24, when he walked 11 batters but only allowed one hit.[3] After spending part of the 1962 and all of the 1963 season in the minors, Ellis rejoined the major league club in 1964 as a reliever. He finished the season with a 10–3 record, a 2.57 earned run average (ERA), pitched 52 games, and threw fewer walks in those 52 games (28) than he did in 1962 in 8 games (29).[1]
In 1965, Ellis made his only All-Star appearance. He won 22 games, including 15 complete starts and two shutouts, while posting an ERA of 3.79. He led the major leagues with 111 earned runs allowed.[1] His walk total was down in 1966, but he finished the season with a 12–19 record, and also led the league in home runs allowed (35) and earned runs allowed (130).[1] He remained part of the starting pitching rotation in 1967 and brought his ERA back down under 4.00.[1]
After the 1967 season, on November 29, 1967, Ellis was traded to the California Angels for pitchers Bill Kelso and Jorge Rubio.[4] He played in California for one season, where his role was mixed. He started 24 games, but also worked some games in relief and notched two saves.[1] On January 20, 1969, Ellis was traded to the Chicago White Sox for right fielderBill Voss and minor leaguer Andy Rubilotta.[5] Ellis was traded again in June, this time to the Cleveland Indians for pitcherJack Hamilton.[6] However, he was sent to the minors, ending up with the Tulsa Oilers in 1970 and the Birmingham A's in 1971, and was unable to make it back to the majors.[7]
Coaching career
After retiring, Ellis worked as a Major League pitching coach for a dozen seasons, having stints with the New York Yankees (1982–84; 1986), Chicago White Sox (1989–91), Chicago Cubs (1992), Seattle Mariners (1993–94), Boston Red Sox (1996) and Baltimore Orioles (2000).[8] Sinkerball pitcher Tommy John credited Ellis with helping him work out some problems with his delivery in 1982. After watching John throw for 40 to 50 minutes a day for several days, Ellis observed, "I always recall seeing you pitch with your hand laid back like you're gonna throw a pie."[9] John adjusted his delivery accordingly and began pitching better.[9]
