The Pirates flew to San Diego on a Thursday for a series against the San Diego Padres. Ellis reported that he used LSD, and lost track of time. Thinking it was still Thursday, he took a hit of LSD on Friday at noon, and his friend's girlfriend reminded him at 2pm that he was scheduled to pitch that night; the game started at 6:05pm.br Pitching under the influence of LSD, Ellis pitched a no-hitter against the Padres on June 12, 1970. Ellis had taken the drug believing he had the day off. He threw a no-hitter despite being unable to feel the ball or see the batter or catcher clearly. Ellis said his catcher Jerry May wore reflective tape on his fingers which helped him see May's signals.