Witt Feels Penned In, Gets Nothing but Outs

Accustomed to the late-inning pressure of a no-hitter, Mike Witt demonstrated Wednesday night that he can handle it as a reliever--as well as a starter.

And by pitching two flawless innings to preserve Mark Langston’s 1-0, no-hit victory over the Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Stadium, Witt hopes he began a process leading to his return to the starting rotation.

Any starting rotation.

“I don’t want to stay in the ‘pen,” Witt said after his first save and first relief appearance since Sept. 20, 1983, “but I recognize that I’ll probably have to until they cut the roster in three weeks. Hopefully by then I’ll have shown some clubs I can still pitch.”

Rumors of a trade for a run-producing outfielder have been rampant since the signing of Langston created a surplus of starting pitchers, eventually leading to Witt’s move to the bullpen.

Asked if he feels he has anything to prove in this new assignment, Witt said: “I don’t think I have anything to prove to anybody. I know that if the situation presented itself to (general manager) Mike Port, I wouldn’t be here tomorrow. If anybody is looking for a starter, I’m sure I helped my cause tonight.”

And he did it in the most difficult of situations. Brought on to pitch the eighth, Witt heard only boos from a crowd of 25,632. It wasn’t clear if the reaction stemmed from Witt’s 22-31 record of the last two years or the decision to lift Langston, but pitching coach Marcel Lachemann said later:

“It was something of a can’t-win situation, and hopefully it will do a lot for Mike.

“He’s trying to take it a step at a time, to show people he’s a quality pitcher, and I think he did tonight. It was fastball, curve . . . basic Mike Witt power pitching.”

Witt faced six batters. Four hit ground balls to second baseman Johnny Ray. Two struck out.

The last time Witt wrapped up a no-hitter was Sept. 30, 1984, when he pitched a perfect game against the Texas Rangers--a club than managed by Doug Rader--on the final day of that season.

Witt said it was too long ago to draw any comparisons to that game. He also said he did not want to discuss the crowd’s reaction Wednesday. “It was a weird feeling,” he said. “By combining (with another pitcher), it was kind of like a spring training atmosphere. I mean, I realized the importance of the game, but it was still kind of weird.”

Witt said he prepared for nearly two innings and was loose when summoned, thinking that the call might come an inning sooner.

“As a starter, the game has a certain flow, and I had to get caught up in it in a hurry, so it was a little strange,” he said. “I felt that my job was to protect the 1-0 lead, but in the back of my mind I realized it was a no-hitter and I wanted to protect that, too.”

Lachemann said Witt had excellent stuff in his final two spring appearances and he expects him to enjoy a big year.

“Did he say where?” Witt asked.