Mike Witt

Michael Atwater Witt (born July 20, 1960) is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1981 and 1993, and threw the 11th perfect game in MLB history in 1984.

Mike Witt
Witt with the Angels in 1987
Pitcher
Born: (1960-07-20) July 20, 1960
Fullerton, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 11, 1981, for the California Angels
Last MLB appearance
June 17, 1993, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Win–loss record117–116
Earned run average3.83
Strikeouts1,373
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Amateur career

Prior to his major league career, Witt played baseball at Servite High School, and was an All-County basketball player as well. He was drafted out of high school in the fourth round of the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.

Professional career

At just 20 years of age, Witt made his major league debut with the California Angels in 1981. Standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall and possessing a great curveball as well as a good fastball, Witt's breakout season came in 1984, when he went 15–11 for the Angels. On July 23 of that year, he struck out 16 Seattle Mariners during a complete game five-hitter; but the highlight of the year came on the final day of the season, September 30,[1] when he pitched the 11th perfect game in baseball history against the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium. He struck out 10 and needed just 94 pitches to complete the gem. Witt's perfect game is, to date, one of five no-hitters pitched on the final day of a Major League Baseball regular season.

From 1984 to 1987, Witt led the Angels every year in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, and complete games. His best season was 1986, when he was named team Most Valuable Player after compiling 18 wins and a 2.84 earned run average, finishing third behind Roger Clemens and Teddy Higuera for the American League Cy Young Award, and guiding the Angels to within one strike of the World Series.

In the middle of the 1987 season, however, Witt suddenly lost his overpowering stuff and saw his strikeout numbers decline significantly. He did manage to combine with starter Mark Langston to pitch a no-hitter on April 11, 1990 against Seattle,[2] pitching the last two innings. Combined with his perfect game this makes him the only pitcher to throw a complete game no-hitter and also appear in relief for a combined no-hitter. Witt was traded to the New York Yankees on May 11, 1990 for Dave Winfield,[1] never winning more than five games during his three years there before retiring in 1993.

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See also

  • Pitchers who have thrown a perfect game

References

  1. Coffey, Michael (2004). 27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games. New York: Atria Books. pp. 157–174. ISBN 0-7434-4606-2.
  2. "Most Recent No-hitters, By Team". SI Vault. Retrieved 2009-06-05.

Preceded by
Len Barker
Perfect game pitcher
September 30, 1984
Succeeded by
Tom Browning
Preceded by
Jack Morris
No-hitter pitcher
September 30, 1984
Succeeded by
Joe Cowley
Preceded by
Tom Browning
No-hit game
April 11, 1990
(with Mark Langston)
Succeeded by
Randy Johnson
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