On Sunday, September 30, 1984, Mike Witt of the California Angels threw a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

against the Texas Rangers at

Arlington Stadium Arlington Stadium was a baseball stadium located in Arlington, Texas, United States, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It served as the home for the Texas Rangers (MLB) from 1972 until 1993, after which the team moved into The Ba ...

. It was the 11th perfect game in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

history. Witt's perfect game came on the last day of the 1984 MLB season. As the Angels and Rangers had been eliminated from the playoffs, only 8,375 fans attended the game. Witt was opposed by

Charlie Hough Charles Oliver Hough (; born January 5, 1948) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) knuckleball pitcher and coach who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Florida Marlins from 1970 to 1994. Pla ...

of the Rangers, who allowed only one run to the Angels. Reggie Jackson, whose seventh-inning fielder's choice ground ball scored

Doug DeCinces Douglas Vernon DeCinces ( ; born August 29, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman from 1973 to 1987 for the Baltimore Orioles, California Angels and St. Louis Cardin ...

for the game's only run, was also on the winning end of

Catfish Hunter's perfect game On Wednesday, May 8, 1968, Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland Athletics pitched the ninth perfect game in Major League Baseball history, defeating the Minnesota Twins 4-0 at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The game was not televised. Hunte ...

while with the Oakland Athletics in 1968, becoming the first player to play for the winning team in two perfect games.

Mickey Rivers John Milton "Mickey" Rivers (born October 30, 1948) is an American former baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for the California Angels, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. As a member of the Yankees, he was pa ...

, the Rangers

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

who batted leadoff, played in this his final major league game. Witt also struck out 10 batters during the game. With the win, the Angels finished .500, which they had not done since the 1982 season. Two years later, they would reach the ALCS but lose. The Rangers would have to wait ten years for their perfect game, which they did fittingly enough against the Angels. That game took place in Arlington Stadium's successor,

The Ballpark in Arlington Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Tex ...

Boxscore

References

1984 Major League Baseball season Major League Baseball perfect games California Angels Texas Rangers (baseball) 20th century in Arlington, Texas 1984 in sports in Texas September 1984 sports events in the United States Sports competitions in Texas {{Texas-sport-stub