George Witt (baseball)

American baseball player (1931–2013)

Baseball player

Red Witt

Witt with the Hollywood Stars c. 1957

Pitcher
Born: (1931-11-09)November 9, 1931
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Died: January 30, 2013(2013-01-30) (aged 81)
Laguna Beach, California, U.S.

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

MLB debut
September 21, 1957, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
June 10, 1962, for the Houston Colt .45s
MLB statistics
Win–loss record| 11–16
Earned run average| 4.32
Strikeouts| 156
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams

* Pittsburgh Pirates (1957–1961)
* Los Angeles Angels (1962)
* Houston Colt .45s (1962)

Career highlights and awards

* World Series champion (1960)

George Adrian "Red" Witt (November 9, 1931 – January 30, 2013),[1] was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball (1957–62) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Angels and Houston Colt .45s.[2] The native of Long Beach, California, stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg) during his playing career. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach.

Witt began his baseball career in 1950 as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers' organization and was drafted by the Pirates from Brooklyn following the 1954 season. In 1957, he won 18 games (losing seven) for the top-level Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League, then had notable back-to-back seasons for the Pirates in 1958–59. In 1958, he helped pitch Pittsburgh to a first division finish and the club's first winning season in a decade with a 9–2 record and a sparkling 1.61 earned run average in 18 games pitched and 15 starting assignments. He threw five complete games and three shutouts. But in 1959, hampered by a sore elbow,[3] he worked in only 15 games and lost all of his seven decisions. He spent part of 1960 back in minor league baseball.

But he also appeared in ten games (with six starts) for the 1960 National League and World Series champion Pirates.[2] He made three relief appearances in the World Series, which was marked by three lopsided New York Yankees victories and four close Pittsburgh triumphs. Witt appeared in the Yankee routs, Games 2, 3 and 6, and although he was not charged with allowing any runs in 22⁄3 innings pitched, he permitted four inherited baserunners to score.[4] Witt played three more seasons, splitting 1961 and 1962 between minor league service and big-league trials with the Pirates, Angels and Colt .45s.

For his MLB career he compiled an 11–16 record with a 4.32 earned run average and 156 strikeouts in 66 appearances and 229 total innings pitched; he allowed 225 hits and 127 bases on balls, and recorded no shutouts or complete games after 1958.[5][6]

Witt was a high school physical education instructor, a science teacher, and a baseball and tennis coach at Tustin High School in Tustin, California, as well as a former Foreign Study League group leader, where he led high school students through a number of European foreign capitals comparing different governmental systems.[citation needed]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hayes, John (February 7, 2013). "Obituary George Witt / Relief pitcher was part of Pirates '60 title run". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
2. ^ a b Cook, Ron (May 11, 1987). "To Witt, baseball was unhappy time". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
3. ^ Peter Bauck, George Witt. Society for American Baseball Research Biography Project
4. ^ Retrosheet: 1960 World Series pitching log for Red Witt
5. ^ "Red Witt Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
6. ^ "George Witt Baseball Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved April 14, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* Career statistics from MLB · Baseball Reference · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac

* v
* t
* e

Pittsburgh Pirates 1960 World Series champions

2 Bob Oldis
4 Bob Skinner
5 Hal Smith
6 Smoky Burgess
7 Dick Stuart
9 Bill Mazeroski
11 Dick Schofield
12 Don Hoak
14 Rocky Nelson
16 Gene Baker
18 Bill Virdon
19 Bob Friend
20 Gino Cimoli
21 Roberto Clemente
22 Joe Gibbon
23 Joe Christopher
24 Dick Groat (NL MVP)
26 Roy Face
29 Clem Labine
30 Wilmer Mizell
31 Harvey Haddix
32 Vern Law (CYA)
35 Fred Green
37 Tom Cheney
39 George Witt

Manager
40 Danny Murtaugh

Coaches
41 Bill Burwell
42 Mickey Vernon
43 Sam Narron
44 Frank Oceak
45 Lenny Levy
Virgil Trucks

Regular season
*[c.]: circa
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