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BaseballLibrary.com
Copyright © 2002
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Bobby Witt
Born: 1964

RHP 1986- Rangers, Athletics, Marlins, Cardinals, Devil Rays, Indians, Diamondbacks

Bobby Witt's Teammates

IPW-LERA
Career 2465142-1574.83
League DS 3.10-08.10
League CS 1.10-020.25
World Series 10-00.00

Stats through the 2001 season

Books and articles about Bobby Witt

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» Bobby Witt from baseball-reference.com
» Witt reunites with La Russa in St. Louis from sfgate.com (6/23/98)
» Will Rangers Send Witt to S.F.? from sfgate.com (7/7/97)
» A'S NOTEBOOK - Perfect Start for Rangers' Witt from sfgate.com (5/21/97)
» Fast Witt is the talk of Texas from sfgate.com (5/20/97)

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A wild right-handed starter, Witt pitched for the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team and was the third player chosen in the nation in the 1985 free-agent draft. He made his ML debut with Texas in 1986 after pitching only 35 innings in the minors. In his first two seasons the raw flamethrower led the AL in both strikeouts per nine innings (9.93 and 10.07) and walks (143 and 140), and as a rookie uncorked a league-high 22 wild pitches. He was 19-19 over the two seasons, but his ERA was above 5.00, and he completed only one of his 56 starts.

In 1988 Witt started horribly, and was 0-5, 7.68 when he was demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City in early May. When he returned in July, however, he was a different pitcher, completing his first nine starts and 13 overall, walking "only" 66 batters in 138 innings, and posting a 2.93 ERA. He later tied Rangers records for most strikeouts in a game with 14 (7/6/86) and most walks in a game with nine (4/24/87).

Witt’s best season came in 1990, when he notched 17 wins (including 12 straight from late June to early September), finished with a 3.36 ERA and ranked second in the AL to teammate Nolan Ryan with 221 strikeouts.

After an injury-plagued 1991 season, he was traded in August 1992, along with pitcher Jeff Russell and outfielder Ruben Sierra, to Oakland in exchange for slugger Jose Canseco. Witt turned into the workhorse of the A’s staff, making 57 starts in 1993 and 1994 while leading the club with 10 complete games.

Following a brief stint with the Marlins, Witt was dealt back to Texas on August 8, 1995 for outfielder Scott Podsednik and pitcher Wilson Heredia. Despite high ERAs (5.41 and 4.82) the next two seasons, Witt took advantage of the powerful Rangers offense to claim 28 wins against 24 losses.

Witt also did some heavy hitting of his own, taking Dodgers hurler Ismael Valdes deep in an interleague game on June 30, 1997 for the first home run by an American League pitcher since the 1973 advent of the designated hitter. The bat he used was sent to the Hall of Fame.

In 1999 Witt won a spot in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' starting rotation after arriving at camp as a non-roster invitee. Although he won just seven games with a 5.84 ERA, his durability proved a major asset to the Devil Rays. The only member of the rotation who didn’t spend time on the disabled list, Witt led the team with 32 starts, and also tossed the 10th and 11th shutouts of his career.

His career looked to be over when the Cleveland Indians released him in May 2000 after just seven appearances. The next season though, Witt resurrected himself as reliever and spot starter for the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning four games in 12 outings. (SCL/AGL)


Contribute your recollections of Bobby Witt by clicking here.
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
» June 3, 1985: The Brewers select University of North Carolina catcher B.J. Surhoff with the first pick in what will prove to be an extremely fruitful free-agent draft. Surhoff was the catcher for the U.S. Olympic Team last summer, and fellow Olympians Will Clark (Mississippi State), Bobby Witt (University of Oklahoma), and Barry Larkin (University of Michigan) are drafted 2nd, 3rd, and 4th by the Giants, Rangers, and Reds, respectively. The Cubs get a good one in the 24th round: Mark Grace while the White Sox take Randy Velarde on the 18th round. The Brewers take Phil Clark with the 18th pick of the first round, following his brother Isaiah Clark who was a 1st round pick last year. Neither will play in the ML, but brother Jerald Clark, who goes to the Padres on the 12th round today, will make it. The Tigers pick a winner in the 22nd round with John Smoltz, then trade him in 1987.

» April 18, 1986: Despite allowing no hits—and only three fair balls hit—and striking out 10 in five innings, Texas rookie Bobby Witt is lifted in a game in Milwaukee. Why? Witt also walks 8, and throws four wild pitches, allowing two runs. Texas rallies for three runs in the 9th to win 7–5.

» August 6, 1986: In a wild game that features a ML-record three grand slams, Texas scores seven runs in the final two innings to beat Baltimore 13–11. Toby Harrah's grand slam in the 2nd gives the Rangers a 5–0 lead, but Baltimore rallies for nine runs in the 4th, thanks to grand slams by Larry Sheets and Jim Dwyer, the 5th time in ML history a team has hit two grand slams in one inning. Bobby Witt and Jeff Russell serve up the gopher balls.

» September 20, 1986: Texas rookie Kevin Brown, the Rangers top pick in the June draft, registers his first professional win, beating the Oakland A's, 9–5. Earlier in the year, teammate Bobby Witt also won his first pro game in the majors. The first Ranger to do it was David Clyde in 1973.

» August 2, 1987: Rangers pitcher Bobby Witt ties the major-league record by striking out four consecutive Orioles in the 2nd inning of a 5–2 win. Witt finishes the game with 11 strikeouts.

» April 12, 1988: Rangers pitcher Bobby Witt ties the American League record by committing four balks in a 4–1 loss to the Tigers.

» September 1, 1990: Bobby Witt allows 10 walks against Oakland in seven innings, the 2nd Ranger in a four days to hand out 10 walks. Before this season, the last pitcher to hand out 10 walks was Andy Hassler, in 1974. Witt also has 10 strikeouts and wins, 3–2, for his 10th victory in a row.

» September 11, 1990: New York beats Texas 5–4 to snap pitcher Bobby Witt's personal 12-game winning streak. The Yanks score two in both the 7th and 8th innings to come from behind. Dave Righetti saves his 31st.

» August 15, 1992: Texas P Bobby Witt walks 10 Tigers in 4 2/3 innings, as Detroit strolls past the Rangers, 10-3. No one has walked this many in this few innings: Randy Johnson walked 10 on May 1 of this year and Witt passed 10 on September 1, 1990.

» August 31, 1992: The A’s trade OF Jose Canseco to the Rangers in exchange for OF Ruben Sierra and P Jeff Russell and Bobby Witt.

» June 23, 1994: Oakland P Bobby Witt narrowly misses hurling a perfect game, defeating KC on a 4-0, 1-hitter. Umpire Gary Cederstrom calls Greg Gagne safe on a close play at 1st in the 6th inning, for the Royals only hit, but TV replays show that Gagne was out. The play went 1B Troy Neel to Witt covering. Witt fans 14 and does not walk a batter in his masterpiece.

» June 28, 1994: Oakland P Bobby Witt follows up his 1-hit shutout over the Royals with a 2-hit whitewashing of the Angels, winning by a score of 3-0.

» July 3, 1994: Athletics P Bobby Witt hurls his 3rd consecutive shutout, defeating the Red Sox, 10-0 on a 6-hitter.

» August 8, 1995: The Rangers acquire P Bobby Witt from the Marlins in exchange for two players to be named.

» June 30, 1997: The Rangers top the Dodgers 3–2 behind Bobby Witt. Witt allows five hits in eight innings and becomes the first AL pitcher since Roric Harrison in 1972 to hit a home run.

» June 22, 1998: The Rangers send P Bobby Witt to the Cardinals in exchange for a player to be named and cash.

» May 1, 1999: Detroit hurler Brian Moehler is ejected in the 7th inning for having a piece of sandpaper on his thumb against the Devil Rays. Two batters later, Randy Winn's sacrifice fly gives Tampa Bay the 4–3 win for Bobby Witt. Moehler will receive a 10-game suspension for his actions. Roberto Hernandez gets the save for the Devil Rays. It is the 200th of his career, making him the 1st Latin pitcher to reach the mark.