He was drafted 12th overall in the June 1995 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Morris pitched in the minor leagues in 1996 and 1997. In 1996,led the Texas League with 4 shutouts while pitching for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers and led all Cardinal minor league pitchers with 175 innings pitched. In 1997,he reached the majors after only one game at Triple-A Louisville. In his first season,he won 12 games with a 3.19 ERA and finished tied for second in the Rookie of the Year voting,behind Scott Rolen.[6]
In 1999,he underwent Tommy John surgery after he was injured in spring training.[7] Morris became the ace of the Cardinals' pitching staff in 2001,earning his first All-Star selection and a third-place finish in the NL Cy Young voting. He won 22 games with 185 strikeouts and a 3.16 ERA. In 2002,he won 17 games and made his second All-Star appearance.
In 2004,Morris signed a one-year contract after he won 15 games on a Cardinals team that made the World Series. In 2004,he lost 10 games for the first time in his career and had a 4.72 ERA,also a career high. On June 20 Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 500th home run off Morris.
Morris underwent surgery during the 2004/2005 off-season and started the season 8–0 with a 3.16 ERA,and was 10–2 with a 3.10 ERA at the time of the All-Star break. In fact,he was considered by many[who?] to be snubbed for the All-Star game. Morris went 4–7 with a 5.55 ERA after the All-Star break. He was the number three starter for the Cardinals in the playoffs,behind ace Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder. He became the first winning pitcher in a postseason game at Petco Park when the Cardinals defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the 2005 NLDS.[8] In the thin free agent market of the 2005/2006 off-season,Morris was touted as one of the best available pitchers.[by whom?]
On December 12,2005,Morris signed a three-year contract with the San Francisco Giants worth $27 million. He had an injury-filled year with the Giants in 2006,going 10–15 with a 4.98 ERA.[9]
Prior to the 2007 season,Morris changed his uniform number from 35,which he had worn for his entire career,to wear number 22 as a tribute to retired former teammate Mike Matheny. Rich Aurilia took the number 35 jersey.
Morris started off the 2008 season with a 0–4 record and a 9.67 ERA in five starts. On April 27,2008,Morris was released by the Pirates.[10] He retired three days later,on April 30,2008.[11][12]
Personal life
Morris married the former Heather Reader on December 7,2002,[13] and together they have four children,Lola Morris,Sydney Morris,Harper Morris,Peyton Morris. As of 2014,they lived in Big Sky,Montana.[3]
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