Angels Defeat the Rangers, 6-5; It’s a Valuable Outing for Witt

The Angels, eliminated from the Western Division race after Kansas City defeated Oakland Saturday night, ended their season Sunday by defeating the Texas Rangers, 6-5.

It may have been meaningless to most, but not to Mike Witt, who earned a $150,000 bonus, not to mention his 15th win.

The three-year contract Witt signed at the end of last season guarantees him $2,150,000. His 1985 salary was $500,000. He was also guaranteed $1,667 for every inning he pitched between 151 and 240--or $150,000 if he pitched more.

He pitched seven innings Sunday for a season’s total of 250. He had ended the 1985 season here with a perfect game. This time, he recorded a season high 13 strikeouts as he scattered seven hits and allowed five earned runs.

The Angels, limited to four runs in their last 40 innings, got a three-run homer from Rufino Linares, a two-run homer by rookie Darrell Miller and a solo homer by Pat Keedy, who was making his major league debut.

Texas took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on RBI singles by Geno Petralli and Steve Buechele and added another run in the third on Gary Ward’s RBI single.

Petralli drove in the fourth Rangers’ run in the sixth inning with a looping ground rule double that fell just below the left field pole. The hit scored Ward, who had singled and stole second.

In the eighth inning, Ward doubled to score O’Brien, who had reached base on a walk. Ward was then throw out trying to stretch the hit into a triple. After that, Bobby Jones singled, with what would have been the tying run.

The Angels ended the season with a 90-72 record. Only the 1982 team won more (93 games).