"Witt showed he could still be a solid starter after his May 11 acquisition from the Angels for Dave Winfield. He worked six-plus innings in 12 of 16 starts.
He was disabled for the first time in nine-plus big league seasons when he suffered a strained elbow during a June 8 start in Baltimore. He displayed impressive ability in the final month.
Witt pitched a 1-0 perfect game against Texas on September 30, 1984. He won 15 or more games for California from 1984-87. Born in Fullerton, California, Witt was California's fourth pick in the 1978 draft."
-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition
"Right-hander Mike Witt could not have asked for a better start to his 1990 season. Combining with Mark Langston, Witt, the then-California Angel, helped no-hit the Seattle Mariners in the Angels home opener. One month later the ten-year veteran was relegated to the role of reliever and was traded for long-time Yankee outfielder Dave Winfield.
Once in Pinstripes, Witt was inserted into his familiar role as starter and expressed his enthusiasm.
'My job is to go seven, eight, nine (innings), keep us in the game, give up three runs or less and let the chips fall where they may. I look forward to that,' he said.
In his six starts for the Yankees, Witt won five games. His season was interrupted on June 8 when he heard his arm 'pop' pitching against Baltimore. He was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career, but came back strong after the injury.
Right-handed hitters batted just .208 against the big righty, and in his six losses, the Yankees scored just 10 runs.
Yankee fans are excited to see this tower of power healthy again, and with a little more offensive support he could be just what the doctor ordered."
-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook
"Witt was acquired by the Yankees last year on May 11 in exchange for outfielder Dave Winfield. Prior to the trade, he appeared in 10 games for the Angels, all in relief. He was 0-3 with a save and a 1.77 ERA (20.1 IP, 4 ER, 19 H, 9 R, 13 BB [1.57 WHIP], 14 K) and opposing hitters hit .250 against him. His only save came in the Angels' opener against Seattle in California as he pitched two perfect innings (2 K) to combine with Mark Langston on the first no-hitter of 1990. It was the second no-hitter Witt was involved with along with his perfect game in 1984.
With the Yankees he was used exclusively as a starter, going 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA over 16 starts. He made his Yankee debut on May 19 against Kansas City and did not get a decision in a 5-4 New York win (6.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER. 3 H). Mike, in fact, did not get a decision in any of his first three starts, with all three coming in May. For the month he posted a 3.79 ERA (19.1 IP).
Mike's first decision came on June 3 against Baltimore- he took the loss in a 4-3 defeat (7.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H). He made his next start on June 8 at Baltimore and had to leave after 1.2 innings when he heard a pop in his right elbow while pitching to Greg Walker (and left the game with a 2-2 count on Walker). He was placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day (and was subsequently moved to the 21-day DL on July 16) with a sore elbow requiring rest. It marked the first time in his 10-year career that Mike spent any time on the DL. At the time of the injury he was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA (28.1 IP) through five starts. The Yankees were 1-4 in those starts, with each game being decided by one run.
Activated on August 6, missing 55 games, Mike did not miss a start the rest of the way (11 GS). His first start after the injury was on August 7 at Seattle, resulting in his first 1990 win (6.4 IP, 1 ER, 4 H) in a 3-1 Yankee victory. Mike's first Yankee Stadium win as a Yankee came on August 18 against Seattle when he threw a 2-hit shutout, allowing two singles in a 6-0 triumph. He was 3-2 in August with a 4.66 ERA in five starts.
He went 2-3 in September with a 4.76 ERA. His fifth and final win was on September 23 against Boston (7.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 H), a 5-4 Yankee victory. He was 5-5 with a 4.72 ERA (68.2 IP) over 11 starts after his injury.
Witt was used exclusively as a reliever by the Angels in 1990, breaking a string of 208 straight starts dating back to the 1983 season. His career record as a starter is 110-105 with a 3.84 ERA (1974.2 IP). As a reliever, he's 4-8 with a 2.58 ERA (87.1 IP).
In his five Yankee wins he had a 2.08 ERA (39.0 IP, 9 ER) and was supported with 32 runs (6.4 runs/game). In his six Yankee losses he had a 9.00 ERA (29.0 IP, 29 ER) and was supported with 10 runs (1.7 runs/game). In his five no-decisions he had a 3.14 ERA (28.2 IP, 10 ER) and was supported with 19 runs (3.8 runs/game).
Witt was 2-3, 3.51 at Yankee Stadium and 3-3, 5.17 on the road. He was better against right-handed hitters (.207 batting average against) than against left-handed hitters (.270 batting against); overall, opponents hit .240 against him. Witt had a 3.00 ERA (21.0 IP), 4.88 (75.2 IP) on grass. He went six-plus innings in 12 of 16 starts and averaged 6.0 innings per start overall. He held the opposition to three runs or less in eight of his 16 starts.
He signed a three-year contract in January 1991. The contract extends through the 1993 season.
Selected in the fourth round of the June 1978 draft, Witt was originally signed by Larry Himes. In 1981, he was promoted from AA El Paso to the Angels with less than 70 games of professional experience. He made his major league debut at Seattle on April 11, and on April 26 at Minnesota recorded his first victory and first complete game in a 7-1 decision. On September 28 against Chicago, Witt pitched his first shutout. In 1982 he registered five wins in the first four months of the season before winning three in August.
Mike set a personal best for most appearances (43) in 1983, splitting time between starting and relief. In relief he pitched 24 games, finishing with a 3-3 record, five saves and a 3.48 ERA (41.1 IP, 16 ER).
In 1984, Mike pitched a perfect game on September 30 when he defeated Texas 1-0 at Arlington in the season finale. He threw 94 pitches, 70 for strikes, going to a 3-ball count only twice, both times to Wayne Tolleson. Mike's last no-hitter had come as a member of the Fullerton (CA) Little League.
With 35 starts, 250.0 innings pitched and 180 strikeouts in 1985, he won 13 of his last 17 decisions after June 1. He worked into the 7th inning or later 28 times.
Witt compiled an 18-10 record and a 2.84 ERA in 1986, finishing among the league leaders in several categories including wins, ERA, complete games (14), shutouts (3) and innings pitched (269.0). His opponents batting average against was .221.
He dominated the month of August when he was named American League Pitcher of the Month: Mike posted a 5-0 record and a 0.21 ERA (43.1 IP, 1 ER), fanning 28 and allowing 17 hits for a .110 batting average against. He won a career high seven straight from August 5-September 18.
Mike finished with a 16-14 record in 1987, marking his fourth straight season with 15 or more wins. He was honored as the AL Player of the Week for June 1-7 with a 2-0 record in two starts while posting a 0.95 ERA (19.0 IP, 2 ER) and fanning 19 batters while walking only three and limiting opposing hitters to a .176 batting average (12 H). Mike's 10 complete games were half the team's total, he pitched into 7th inning or later 28 times and allowed three earned runs or less in 21 starts.
Leading the Angels with 13 victories in 1988, Mike recorded a 5-0 shutout of Baltimore on May 28, his first shutout since August 26, 1986 when he blanked the Yankees 2-0 at Yankee Stadium. He was selected AL Player of the Week for June 13-19, going 2-0 with a 0.51 ERA (17.2 IP, 12 H, 1 ER). He registered his 100th career win on September 8 at Texas but did not strike out a batter in that win, the first time he failed to do so since April 30, 1982, a span of 209 starts. Mike allowed only 14 home runs during the season. Of his 12 complete games, six were in losing efforts.
In 1989, he pitched 200-plus innings for the sixth consecutive season. After surrendering 87 walks in 1988, he allowed only 48 walks in '89. Mike pitched into the seventh inning or later in 21 of 33 games, allowed three earned runs or less in 18 of 33 games and walked two batters or less in 28 of 33 games. He finished with a 9-15 record and a 4.54 ERA (220.0 IP).
Mike graduated from Servite High School (CA) in 1978, posting a 14-0 record in a California Interscholastic Federation 4-A championship season. In high school he was a teammate of Steve Buechele and played against Mike Gallego and Bobby Meacham. He was also a standout basketball player. He played in the Babe Ruth League (West Anaheim) and in Little League (Fullerton).
Mike enjoys playing golf. His most dramatic moment was pitching his 1984 perfect game and his favorite entertainer is Billy Joel."
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
Tied for American League lead in hit batsmen (11), 1981.
Pitched 1-0 perfect game against Texas Rangers, September 30, 1984.
-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide
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