View source for Mike Witt

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1960)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Mike Witt
|image=1987 Indiana Blue Sox Set Mike Witt.jpg
|caption = Witt with the Angels in 1987
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1960|7|20}}
|birth_place=[[Fullerton, California]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 11
|debutyear=1981
|debutteam=California Angels
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=June 17
|finalyear=1993
|finalteam=New York Yankees
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=117–116
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.83
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=1,373
|teams=
* [[California Angels]] ({{mlby|1981}}–{{mlby|1990}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1990}}–{{mlby|1991}}, {{mlby|1993}})
|highlights=
* 2× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1986]], [[1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1987]])
* Pitched a [[Mike Witt's perfect game|perfect game]] on September 30, 1984
* Pitched a combined [[no-hitter]] on April 11, 1990
* [[Angels Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''Michael Atwater Witt''' (born July 20, 1960) is an American former professional [[baseball]] [[pitcher]]. He played 12 seasons in [[Major League Baseball]] between 1981 and 1993, and threw the 11th [[Mike Witt's perfect game|perfect game]] in MLB history in 1984.

==Early life==
Mike Witt was born in [[Fullerton, California]], on July 20, 1960, to a family of six children.<ref name="BRef">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wittmi01.shtml|title=Mike Witt|website=[[Baseball Reference]]|accessdate=August 4, 2023}}</ref><ref name="si"/> His father worked for [[Colgate-Palmolive]] and his mother was a teacher at a Catholic school.<ref name="Page 158"/> Witt started playing [[Little League Baseball]] at age 9, and when he was 10, his oldest brother taught him how to throw the [[curveball]], which became his primary pitch.<ref name="si">{{citation|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1985/04/22/brevity-is-the-role-of-witt|title=Brevity Is the Soul of Witt|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=April 22, 1985|first=Bruce|last=Anderson|access-date=2023-01-24}}</ref><ref name="Page 158">{{cite book|last=Coffey|first=Michael|title=27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games|publisher=[[Atria Publishing Group|Atria Books]]|year=2004|isbn=0-7434-4606-2|page=158}}</ref>

He played both baseball and basketball competitively for [[Servite High School]]. As a 6-ft, 7-in tall All-County basketball player, many assumed basketball would be his sport of choice, but he found baseball more enjoyable.<ref name="sabr">{{citation|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/mike-witt/|title=Mike Witt|first=Paul|last=Hensler|work=SABR Baseball Biography Project|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|date=February 1, 2017|access-date=2023-01-24}}</ref> His pitching took Servite to a 14-0 record and victory at the 1978 [[CIF Southern Section]] 4A baseball championship, and he was named the [[Trinity League|Angelus League]]'s Player of the Year. He was drafted out of high school in the fourth round of the [[1978 Major League Baseball draft]].

He was sent first to the [[Rookie League]] [[Idaho Falls Chukars|Idaho Falls Angels]] of the [[Pioneer League (baseball)|Pioneer League]], then the [[Class A (baseball)|Single-A]] [[Salinas Spurs]] in 1979. He was promoted to the [[El Paso Diablos]] in 1980, and despite having only a dozen Double-A games to his name, was invited to spring training with the California Angels for 1981.<ref name="sabr" />

== Professional career ==
At 20 years of age, Witt made his major league debut with the [[1981 California Angels season|California Angels]] on April 11, 1981. He went 8-9 with a 3.28 ERA his rookie season, which was shortened by the [[1981 Major League Baseball strike|Major League Baseball strike]].<ref name="hof" /> He stumbled in his third season, finishing 7-14 with a 4.91 ERA, and was sent to play for the  [[Tiburones de La Guaira]] of the [[Venezuelan Professional Baseball League|Venezuelan League]], where he won seven of eight decisions.<ref name="si" />

Possessing a great [[curveball]] as well as a good fastball, Witt's breakout season came in [[1984 California Angels season|1984]], when he went 15–11 for the Angels. On July 23 of that year, he [[strikeout|struck out]] 16 [[1984 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle Mariners]] during a complete game five-hitter; but the highlight of the year came on the final day of the season, September 30,<ref name="perfect games">{{cite book|last=Coffey|first=Michael|title=27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games|publisher=Atria Books|location=New York|year=2004|pages=[https://archive.org/details/27menoutbaseball00coff/page/157 157–174]|isbn=0-7434-4606-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/27menoutbaseball00coff/page/157}}</ref> when he pitched the 11th [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] in baseball history against the [[1984 Texas Rangers season|Texas Rangers]] at [[Arlington Stadium]]. He struck out 10 and needed just 94 pitches to complete the gem. [[Mike Witt's perfect game|Witt's perfect game]] is, as of 2020, one of five [[no-hitter]]s pitched on the final day of a Major League Baseball regular season.

From 1984 to [[1987 California Angels season|1987]], Witt led the Angels every year in [[Win (baseball)|win]]s, strikeouts, innings pitched, and complete games. His best season was [[1986 California Angels season|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 [[1986 World Series|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 [[1990 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1137746/2/26/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526005905/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1137746/2/26/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 26, 2008|title=Most Recent No-hitters, By Team|work=SI Vault|access-date=2009-06-05}}</ref> 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 [[1990 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] on May 11, 1990, for [[Dave Winfield]],<ref name="perfect games"/> but suffered his first career injury on his fifth start.<ref name="sabr" /> He was re-signed by the Yankees to an $8 million, 3-year contract, but missed most of the 1991 and 1992 seasons while recovering from [[Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction|Tommy John surgery]], and he won no more than five games before retiring in 1993.<ref name="sabr" />

==Personal life==
Witt met Lisa Fenn, who worked for the Angels' group sales department, his rookie year.<ref name="hof">{{citation|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2015/08/21/witts-call-to-the-angels-hall-is-a-perfect-moment/|title=Witt’s call to the Angels’ Hall is a perfect moment|first=Marcia C.|last=Smith|newspaper=Orange County Register|date=August 21, 2015|access-date=2023-01-24}}</ref> They wed in 1983, and have three children: daughter Kellen Marie and sons Justin and Kevin.<ref name="sabr" />

Witt did not pursue a coaching career in college or professional baseball as he wanted to spend time with his family.<ref name="occatholic">{{citation|url=https://www.occatholic.com/from-angel-to-eagle/|title=From Angel to Eagle|first=Tom|last=Connolly|date=June 1, 2016|newspaper=Orange County Catholic|access-date=2023-01-24}}</ref> He transitioned to coaching high school, starting with [[Dana Hills High School]] in 1994.<ref name="lat">{{citation|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-04-17-sp-49573-story.html|title=Major League Stuff : Former Angel Witt, Who Once Pitched a Perfect Game, Still Enjoys Baseball as Coach at Dana Hills High|first=Mike|last=Terry|date=April 17, 1997|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|access-date=2023-01-24}}</ref> He followed his sons in 2000 to [[Santa Margarita Catholic High School]], becoming varsity assistant and pitching coach there.<ref name="hof" />

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
* [[Pitchers who have thrown a perfect game]]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
{{Baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=w/wittmi01 |fangraphs=W/mike-witt |brm=witt--001mic}}, or [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/W/Pwittm001.htm Retrosheet]


{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = [[Len Barker]] | title = [[Perfect game (baseball)|Perfect game pitcher]] | years = September 30, 1984 | after = [[Tom Browning]]}}
{{Succession box|title=[[No-hitter]] pitcher |before=[[Jack Morris]]| years= September 30, 1984 |after=[[Joe Cowley (baseball)|Joe Cowley]]}}
{{Succession box|title=[[List of Major League Baseball no-hitters|No-hit game]] |before=[[Tom Browning]]| years= April 11, 1990 <br> (with [[Mark Langston]]) |after=[[Randy Johnson]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{MLB perfect games}}
{{Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Angels Hall of Fame}}
{{Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witt, Mike}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Albany-Colonie Yankees players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:California Angels players]]
[[Category:Columbus Clippers players]]
[[Category:El Paso Diablos players]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast Yankees players]]
[[Category:Idaho Falls Angels players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a perfect game]]
[[Category:New York Yankees players]]
[[Category:Salinas Angels players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Fullerton, California]]
[[Category:Tiburones de La Guaira players]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Servite High School alumni]]