Bobby Witt Sr.

Lore & Background

Witt attended the University of Oklahoma and played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 1983. He was selected with the third pick of the first round by the Texas Rangers in 1985. Known as a hard-throwing right-hander with control problems, he led the league in walks three times and wild pitches twice. His son, Bobby Witt Jr., was drafted with the second pick of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft and signed with the Kansas City Royals.

In Their Own Story

The late-August sun hung low over the outfield wall at the old Royals park, painting the infield dirt in shades of amber. Witt was in his usual crouch at the bag, knees bent, glove low, eyes tracking the batter's hands. The crack of the bat was sharp, the ball screaming toward the hole at second. He was on it before it hit the dirt, scooped it out of the infield grass, and the throw to first was a flat, violent line that beat the runner by a half-step. The umpire's hand went up. Witt didn't celebrate. He just wiped the dirt off his glove, reset his feet, and looked up at the next pitch. That was the job. That was the Royals. And Bobby Witt Sr. did it every single day, season after season, until the fans stopped counting and just assumed the second baseman would be there, glove ready, waiting for the next one.

Reader's Guide

Witt made his MLB debut in 1986 with the Texas Rangers and had his best season in 1990, going 17–10 with a 3.36 ERA and 221 strikeouts. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1992, then signed with the Florida Marlins in 1995. He returned to the Rangers from 1995 to 1998, was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998, and later pitched for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999), Cleveland Indians (2000), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2001). He appeared in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series, his final major league game, and retired after the Diamondbacks won the World Series.

Did You Know?

• On June 23, 1994, Witt lost a perfect game bid when first base umpire Gary Cederstrom called Greg Gagne safe on a close bunt play; replays showed Gagne was out.
• On June 30, 1997, Witt became the first American League pitcher to hit a home run in a regular season interleague game; the bat is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Witt led the league in walks three times and wild pitches twice during his career.