Bobby Witt | Today's AI Wiki

1. Early Life and Amateur Career

Bobby Witt Sr. was born on May 11, 1964, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. He grew up in Canton, Massachusetts, where his parents still reside, and attended Canton High School. After high school, he was initially drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 7th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft, but he opted not to sign, choosing instead to attend the University of Oklahoma. In 1983, he further honed his skills by playing collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham A's in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Following his collegiate career, Witt was selected with the third pick of the first round by the Texas Rangers in the 1985 Major League Baseball draft, marking his entry into professional baseball.

2. Professional Career

Bobby Witt Sr.'s professional baseball career spanned 16 seasons, from his major league debut in 1986 to his retirement in 2001, playing for several teams and leaving a notable mark on the game.

2.1. Texas Rangers (First Stint)

Witt made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Texas Rangers in 1986. That season, he started 31 games and finished with an 11-9 win-loss record. Despite this, he quickly became known for his significant control problems, leading the league with 143 walks in 157.2 innings pitched. His wildness on the mound earned him the nickname "Witt 'n Wild" among fans in Arlington, a playful nod to the nearby "Wet 'n Wild" waterpark. In 1987, his control issues persisted as he again led the league in walks, issuing 140 in 143 innings pitched. From 1987 to 1990, he recorded over 100 walks each season for five consecutive years.

On August 2, 1987, Witt achieved a rare feat by striking out four batters in one inning. He also set a major league record for starting 55 consecutive games without throwing a complete game before achieving his first. While he struggled at the start of the 1988 season, leading to a demotion to the minor leagues, he rapidly improved upon his return, recording nine consecutive complete games, a performance that nearly matched a team record.

The 1990 season was the best of his career, as he posted a 17-10 record with a career-low ERA of 3.36. He also demonstrated dominance by striking out 221 batters in 222 innings pitched. For his outstanding performance in July 1990, he was named the Pitcher of the Month. Witt continued with the Rangers until August 31, 1992, when he was traded along with Jeff Russell and Rubén Sierra to the division rival Oakland Athletics in exchange for Jose Canseco.

2.2. Oakland Athletics

From 1992 to 1994, Bobby Witt compiled a 23-24 win-loss record during his tenure with the Oakland Athletics. He served as the team's Opening Day starter in 1994.

On June 23, 1994, Witt came exceptionally close to pitching a perfect game against the Kansas City Royals. His bid was broken in the 6th inning when first base umpire Gary Cederstrom called Greg Gagne safe on a close bunt play at first. Replays later indicated that Gagne was out. Despite this controversial call, Witt completed the game with only one hit allowed and no walks, recording a shutout with 14 strikeouts, marking a Near-perfect game performance. After the 1994 season, Witt became a free agent.

2.3. Florida Marlins

Following the 1994 season, Witt signed a one-year contract with the Florida Marlins. During the 1995 season, he pitched for the Marlins for half a season, recording a 2-7 record despite a respectable ERA of 3.90 and a WHIP under 1.40. His low win total was largely attributed to a lack of run support from the Marlins' offense. On August 8, 1995, he was traded back to his former team, the Texas Rangers, in exchange for two players to be named later, one of whom was Scott Podsednik.

2.4. Texas Rangers (Second Stint)

From 1995 to 1998, in his second stint with the Texas Rangers, Bobby Witt posted a 36-32 win-loss record. His most successful season during this period was in 1996, when he finished with a 16-12 record, contributing to the Rangers' first-ever division championship. Despite his personal win total, his ERA stood at 5.41 that year, indicating he benefited from the team's potent offense. The Rangers, however, were defeated by the New York Yankees in the Division Series.

On June 30, 1997, Witt achieved a unique historical feat when he became the first American League pitcher to hit a home run in a regular season interleague game. This was also the first home run hit by an American League pitcher since Roric Harrison on October 3, 1972, following the implementation of the designated hitter rule in the American League in 1973. His home run was hit off Ismael Valdez of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the sixth inning. The bat Witt used to hit this historic home run was later donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

2.5. Final Years and World Series Championship

During the 1998 season, Witt experienced a downturn in performance with the Rangers, leading to his trade to the St. Louis Cardinals on June 23. He pitched in 17 games for the Cardinals, making only five starts. In 1999, Witt had one of the most challenging seasons of his career while playing for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, finishing with a 7-15 record and a 5.82 ERA in 32 starts.

In 2000, his time with the Cleveland Indians was significantly limited due to injury, as he made only seven appearances and pitched just 15 innings. His final season in MLB was in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite not having a prominent role, he contributed to the team's success, making 14 appearances (seven starts) and finishing with a 4-1 record. Witt appeared in Game 2 of the 2001 National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves, pitching one-third of an inning, allowing three hits and one run.

His next and final major league pitching appearance was his first-ever World Series game, occurring in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series. He pitched the eighth inning in relief of Randy Johnson with the Diamondbacks holding a dominant 15-2 lead over the New York Yankees. Witt walked one batter and then finished his outing by striking out Shane Spencer before Troy Brohawn took over for the ninth inning. The Diamondbacks went on to win the following Game 7, securing the World Series championship. After this victory, Witt retired from baseball.

3. Playing Style and Characteristics

Bobby Witt Sr. was primarily known as a hard-throwing right-hander. Throughout his career, he frequently struggled with control, which became a defining characteristic of his pitching style. This tendency for wild pitches and walks led to his distinctive nickname, "Witt 'n Wild," coined by fans in Arlington, Texas. He led the league in walks three times and in wild pitches twice over the course of his career, underscoring his reputation for both powerful pitches and unpredictable accuracy. Despite these control issues, his ability to generate high strikeout numbers remained a key asset, evident in his career-high 221 strikeouts in 1990.

4. Achievements and Records

Throughout his 16-season MLB career, Bobby Witt Sr. achieved several notable accomplishments and unique records:

Olympic Games Silver Medal (1984 Los Angeles, as part of the Team USA)
World Series Champion (2001)
Pitcher of the Month (July 1990)
Achieved a rare four-strikeout inning on August 2, 1987.
Pitched a Near-perfect game on June 23, 1994, for the Oakland Athletics, allowing only one hit and no walks with 14 strikeouts. The game's only hit was a controversial call at first base that replays indicated was an out.
Became the first American League pitcher to hit a home run in a regular season interleague game on June 30, 1997, after the designated hitter rule was adopted in 1973. The bat used for this historic home run is preserved in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

5. Personal Life

Bobby Witt Sr. grew up in Canton, Massachusetts. As of April 2015, he lived in Colleyville, Texas, with his wife and four children. After his playing career, he transitioned into a new role as a player agent, remaining involved in baseball.

His family has strong ties to the sport. His son, Bobby Witt Jr., born in 2000, is a highly touted shortstop who was drafted as the second overall pick in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals. Witt Sr.'s daughters are also married to former major league players: Nikki is married to ex-major leaguer James Russell, Kianna is married to ex-major leaguer Zach Neal, and Shaley is married to ex-major leaguer Cody Thomas.

6. Career Statistics

Bobby Witt Sr.'s Major League Baseball career spanned 16 seasons, accumulating the following pitching and fielding statistics:

Year	Team	Games	Starts	Complete Games	Shutouts	Saves	Wins	Losses	Win %	Batters Faced	Innings Pitched	Hits	Home Runs	Walks	Hit Batters	Wild Pitches	Strikeouts	Bases on Balls per 9 IP	Home Runs per 9 IP	Earned Runs	Total Runs	ERA	WHIP
1986	TEX	31	31	0	0	0	11	9	.550	741	157.2	130	18	143	2	3	174	8.18	1.03	104	96	5.48	1.73
1987	TEX	26	25	1	0	0	8	10	.444	673	143.0	114	10	140	1	3	160	8.81	0.63	82	78	4.91	1.78
1988	TEX	22	22	13	2	0	8	10	.444	736	174.1	134	13	101	2	1	148	5.21	0.67	83	76	3.92	1.35
1989	TEX	31	31	5	1	0	12	13	.480	869	194.1	182	14	114	3	2	166	5.28	0.65	123	111	5.14	1.52
1990	TEX	33	32	7	1	0	17	10	.630	954	222.0	197	12	110	3	4	221	4.46	0.49	98	83	3.36	1.38
1991	TEX	17	16	1	1	0	3	7	.300	413	88.2	84	4	74	1	1	82	7.52	0.41	66	60	6.09	1.78
1992	TEX	25	25	0	0	0	9	13	.409	708	161.1	152	14	95	1	2	100	5.30	0.78	87	80	4.46	1.53
1992	OAK	6	6	0	0	0	1	1	.500	140	31.2	31	2	19	1	0	25	5.40	0.57	12	12	3.41	1.58
1992 Total		31	31	0	0	0	10	14	.417	848	193.0	183	16	114	2	2	125	5.31	0.75	99	92	4.29	1.54
1993	OAK	35	33	5	1	0	14	13	.519	950	220.0	226	16	91	5	3	131	3.72	0.65	112	103	4.21	1.44
1994	OAK	24	24	5	3	1	8	10	.444	618	135.2	151	22	70	4	5	111	4.65	1.46	88	76	5.04	1.63
1995	FLA	19	19	1	0	0	2	7	.222	472	110.2	104	8	47	1	2	95	3.82	0.65	52	48	3.90	1.36
1995	TEX	10	10	1	0	0	3	4	.429	276	61.1	81	4	21	1	1	46	3.08	0.59	35	31	4.55	1.66
1995 Total		29	29	2	0	0	5	11	.313	748	172.0	185	12	68	2	3	141	3.55	0.63	87	79	4.13	1.47
1996	TEX	33	32	2	0	0	16	12	.571	903	199.2	235	28	96	3	2	157	4.33	1.26	129	120	5.41	1.66
1997	TEX	34	32	3	0	0	12	12	.500	919	209.0	245	33	74	4	2	121	3.19	1.42	118	112	4.82	1.53
1998	TEX	14	13	0	0	0	5	4	.556	329	69.1	95	14	33	1	0	30	4.29	1.82	62	59	7.66	1.85
1998	STL	17	5	0	0	0	2	5	.286	217	47.1	55	7	20	1	2	28	3.80	1.33	32	26	4.94	1.59
1998 Total		31	18	0	0	0	7	9	.438	546	116.2	150	21	53	2	2	58	4.09	1.62	94	85	6.56	1.74
1999	TB	32	32	3	2	0	7	15	.318	815	180.1	213	23	96	1	3	123	4.79	1.15	130	117	5.84	1.71
2000	CLE	7	2	0	0	0	0	1	.000	77	15.1	28	4	6	1	0	6	3.52	2.34	13	13	7.63	2.22
2001	ARI	14	7	0	0	0	4	1	.800	193	43.1	36	6	25	1	3	31	5.19	1.25	23	23	4.78	1.41
MLB Totals	16 Years	430	397	47	11	1	142	157	.475	11003	2465.0	2493	252	1375	37	39	1955	5.02	0.92	1449	1324	4.83	1.57

Year	Team	Pitching (P)
Year	Team	Games	Putouts	Assists	Errors	Double Plays	Fielding %
1986	TEX	31	8	20	3	1	.903
1987	TEX	26	8	17	0	1	1.000
1988	TEX	22	15	15	4	2	.882
1989	TEX	31	13	22	1	1	.972
1990	TEX	33	18	18	5	2	.878
1991	TEX	17	7	6	2	1	.867
1992	TEX	25	14	16	1	1	.968
1992	OAK	6	0	4	0	1	1.000
1992 Total		31	14	20	1	2	.971
1993	OAK	35	12	39	3	5	.944
1994	OAK	24	7	13	4	2	.833
1995	FLA	19	7	15	0	0	1.000
1995	TEX	10	1	6	0	0	1.000
1995 Total		29	8	21	0	0	1.000
1996	TEX	33	10	28	1	3	.974
1997	TEX	34	10	27	1	2	.974
1998	TEX	14	2	3	2	0	.714
1998	STL	17	3	9	0	2	1.000
1998 Total		31	5	12	2	2	.895
1999	TB	32	12	27	3	4	.929
2000	CLE	7	0	3	0	0	1.000
2001	ARI	14	1	6	0	0	1.000
MLB Totals		430	148	294	30	28	.936