Mike Witt arrived in the California organization as a fourth-round selection in 1978 out of Fullerton’s Servite High School, essentially pitching in his own backyard. Standing 6’ 7”, he possessed a specialized high-release point that made his power curveball nearly unhittable when he was on his game.
On the final day of the 1984 season, Witt delivered one of the most statistically dominant performances in baseball history. On September 30, he demonstrated a specialized ability to dominate the Texas Rangers, tossing the 11th perfect game in Major League history using only 94 pitches. This historic gem served as the lead-in to his most consistent stretch of production, as he won at least 15 games and fanned 180 or more batters in four consecutive seasons (1984–1987).
The 1986 campaign represented Witt’s most complete effort as he recorded 18 wins with a 2.84 ERA and 208 strikeouts, leading the Angels to an American League West title and finishing third in the Cy Young voting. He also recorded 14 complete games and earned the first of back-to-back All-Star selections. While his dominance began to taper in the late eighties, he provided one final high-frequency highlight in 1990, tossing two perfect innings in relief to finish a combined no-hitter with Mark Langston.
In May of 1990, the Angels dealt Witt to the New York Yankees, departing with 109 wins and 1,283 strikeouts while wearing the Halo. He would later be inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2015.
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