Douglas Morton

Douglas Orla Morton

• Throws Right

• School Friends University

• Born December 8, 1949 in McPherson, KS USA
• Died April 19, 2020 in Richardson, TX USA

Biographical Information

Douglas Morton was one of the top foreign players in Hoofdklasse history.

Morton was contacted by the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies while in college; when no contract was immediately offered, he decided to travel the world. He came to Amsterdam in 1974 to visit his sister, who was living there. He tried out for the Dutch team Haarlem Nicols and signed with them in 1975, remaining there until 1981. While there, he met and married a local girl and learned Dutch.

His teams won the Hoofdklasse title 1975-1977 and the 1975 European Cup. He hit .340 in 1975 while going 6-1 with a league-best 1.32 ERA. He was 11-0 with a 1.65 ERA in 1976 and won Pitcher of the Year, succeeding Charles Urbanus Jr. He was 16-0 in 1977 to set a record with two straight unbeaten seasons. He led the league with 182 whiffs and hit .324, while repeating as Pitcher of the Year, the first repeat winner since Herman Beidschat in 1970-1971.

Morton led the 1979 Hoofdklasse with 16 complete games and the 1980 Hoofdklasse with 17 complete games. He moved to UVV in 1982 and spent his final three seasons there, after which his family moved to the USA. He led the 1984 Hoofdklasse with 21 games pitched and 5 saves. He worked in sales after his baseball career.

Overall, he was 104-33 with 11 saves and a 2.27 ERA in the Hoofdklasse with 1,286 K to 168 BB in 1,271 IP. He also hit .272 with 6 homers. He had the most strikeouts by a foreign right-hander in Hoofdklasse annals; only Craig McGinnis had more Ks by a foreign hurler. His seven straight seasons of 10+ wins were tied for the record with Bart Volkerijk and McGinnis before Eelco Jansen broke it. His 120 complete games are 3rd in Hoofdklasse history through 2019, behind only Volkerijk and Orlando Stewart. He threw a fastball, slider and curveball.

Source: Obituary by Marco Stoovelaar