Talk about your feel-good stories.

Charlie Morton.

The former Pirate right-hander was hoping to sign a minor league contract with somebody nine months ago.

He was 33 years old, coming off a 2016 season that lasted only 17 innings with the Philadelphia Phillies. A torn hamstring in April out an end to that campaign.

Morton needed surgery on that hamstring. He had already undergone surgery on his elbow and both hips at different points of his career. He had never won more than 10 games in any major league season.

In fact, Morton’s career record entering the 2017 season was 46-71 with a 4.54 earned run average. He had the worst winning percentage of any major league pitcher with at least 150 career starts.

Small wonder the guy was only looking for a minor league contract. He was just looking to keep his baseball career alive.

Now he’s in the baseball history books.

When Houston signed Morton to a two-year deal for $14 million last winter, most of the Major League Baseball world probably snickered.

It was the Astros who had the last laugh.

Morton became the only pitcher in MLB history to win two Game 7’s in the same postseason. He was the starter and winner in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees and worked the final four innings of Game 7 of the World Series.

Few baseball fans outside of Atlanta (the Braves drafted him) or Pittsburgh had any idea who Charlie Morton was before this season started. Then he goes out and posts a 14-7 record with a 3.62 earned run average, 163 stikeouts in 146 innings during the regular season.

And while former Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel were warming up in the bullpen late in the seventh game of the Series, Morton kept them there.

Their services were simply not needed.

Morton became a throw-back during Game 7 of the World Series. He became the fourth pitcher in baseball history to pitch the final four innings of a Game 7 in relief.

The previous three are from another era — Walter Johnson in 1924, Joe Page in 1947 and Bob Turley in 1958.

Pitchers just aren’t used that way anymore.

Morton was making only the second relief appearance of his career. He still has never made 30 starts or pitched 175 innings in a major league regular season.

But here he is, sitting on top of the baseball world.

The Pirates wanted Morton to pitch to contact during his years in Pittsburgh because of his ability to induce the ground ball.

Ground Chuck was his nickname around PNC Park.

The Astros saw Morton as having strikeout stuff. His fastball was in the upper 90’s and his curve always could fall off a table.

Finally, it all came together for this guy, after four surgeries and 10 years in the big leagues.

That has to put a smile on your face.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle