James Morris

Note: This page is for 1884 pitcher/outfielder James Morris; for others with similar names, click here.

James R. Morris

• Bats unknown, Throws unknown
• Height 6' 1", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut September 11, 1884
• Final Game September 11, 1884
• Born December 29, 1860 in Boonton, NJ USA
• Died July 10, 1925 in Passaic, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

James Morris, previously listed as E. Morris, played one game for the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association in 1884. He played in the outfield and also spent an inning on the mound, going 0 for 3 and allowing 2 runs. Not much was known about him, except for the fact that he had joined the team alongside a catcher named "Cantz" (who did not get to play), and that the two had come from Trenton, NJ after playing for teams in Chambersburg, PA and Littlestown, PA. A boxscore in the Reading Times published earlier that season listed a "J.R. Morris" as a pitcher for Chambersburg. That allowed SABR researchers to match him with James R. Morris, a pastor in Passaic, NJ mentioned in a 1900 newspaper article as a former ballplayer from Trenton.

He apparently quit baseball in an era when the game was full of drinking and rowdiness, claiming that he "found God" and started the Grace Church in Passaic, New Jersey.

Further Reading

• "James Morris", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, September/October 2017, p. 1.