MLB Top 5: Los Angeles Angels Pitchers

This is the fifth and final article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Los Angeles Angels. In this installment are right- and left-handed starters and relief pitchers.

The Los Angeles Angels have had several solid pitchers through the years. This article features plenty of talent from the team’s playoff years in the 1980s and 2000s, including a pitcher who was part of two no-hitters, a dominant closer from the 2002 championship team and Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in strikeouts.

The Best Pitchers in Los Angeles Angels History

Right-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Shohei Ohtani is one of the biggest stars in today’s game and he is a star, both on offense and on the mound. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2018 after posting a .285-22-61 stat line as a batter and went 4-2 with a 3.31 earned run average in ten starts. Surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament cost him most of the next two years as a pitcher, but Ohtani won the MVP Award in 2021. He had 46 home runs and 100 RBIs at the plate and went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 23 starts, becoming the first player in league history to start as a pitcher and a batter in the All-Star Game.

Ohtani had his best year as a pitcher in 2022, going 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in just 166 innings. He was the MVP runner-up and finished fourth in the MVP voting. “Shotime” was on his way to similar numbers this past season (10-5, 3.14 in 23 starts) when he suffered another torn UCL in August, with a second Tommy John surgery costing him a chance to pitch through the 2024 season. In six seasons (2018-present), Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings.

Bartolo Colon was a talented pitcher who spent time with 11 teams in his 21-year career. While he had stellar seasons with the Indians and Athletics and hit a memorable home run with the Mets in 2016, his greatest pitching success came during his four-year run with the Angels (2004-07). Colon went 46-33 in that stretch, with nearly half of those wins coming in 2005. That season, he led the American League with a 21-8 record and posted a 3.48 earned run average to win the Cy Young Award. “Big Sexy” missed all of 2010 due to damage in his shoulder and elbow, with the doctors using stem cells in the procedure to treat the injuries. He finished his career with the Rangers in 2018, throwing his last pitch at age 45.

Kirk McCaskill spent seven seasons with California (1985-91) and posted a double-digit win total five times. His best season was 1986, when he went 17-10 with a 3.36 earned run average and 202 strikeouts. Two years later, he had a 15-10 record with a 2.93 ERA. Overall, McCaskill is tied for eighth in franchise history in shutouts (11), tied for ninth in games started (189) and tenth in wins (78-74). He also had 714 strikeouts in 1,221 innings. McCaskill got shelled and lost both of his starts against the Red Sox in the 1986 ALCS.

Bill Singer spent most of his career with the Dodgers, but he had one great season during his three-year stint with the other team in Southern California (1973-75). He was a 20-game winner and an All-Star twice in his career, with his first coming thanks to a 20-12 mark with the Dodgers in 1969. Four years later, he had one of the best seasons by a pitcher in Angels history, going 20-14 with a 3.22 earned run average, 19 complete games, 241 strikeouts and 315 2/3 innings (third in team history) in 40 starts (second). Singer posted a 34-33 mark with a 3.79 ERA with the Angels.

Another pitcher who spent time with both Los Angeles-based teams, Andy Messersmith started his career with the Angels, posting a 59-47 record with a 2.78 earned run average over five seasons (1968-72). He went 16-11 with a 2.52 ERA and 211 strikeouts in 1969 and earned his only All-Star selection with California after going 21-13 with a 2.99 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 1971. Messersmith is tied for seventh in franchise history with 42 complete games and is tied for eighth with 11 shutouts.

Ervin Santana began his career by playing eight seasons with the Angels (2005-12), reaching double figures in victories five times. He earned his only All-Star selection with Los Angeles in 2008, when he went 16-7 with a 3.49 earned run average and 214 strikeouts in 219 innings. Two years later, he posted a career-high 17-10 mark. After seasons with the Royals and Braves, he went to the Twins and earned his second All-Star selection in 2017. He retired after spending 2021 as a reliever with Kansas City, ending his 16-year career with a 151-129 record. Santana went 2-2 in eight postseason appearances with the Angels.

5. John Lackey – He won at least 10 games in seven of his eight seasons with the Angels (2002-09) with the only exception being a 9-4 mark he posted in his rookie year. Lackey’s best season was 2007, when he went 19-9 with 179 strikeouts and a league-leading 3.01 earned run average and two shutouts. The performance earned him his only All-Star selection and pushed him to a third-place finish in the Cy Young voting.

Lackey is tied for fifth in franchise history in wins (102-71) and games started (233) and ranks sixth in both strikeouts (1,201) and innings pitched (1,501). He also had a 3.81 ERA, 14 complete games and eight shutouts. Despite all the numbers, his greatest moment came in his rookie season, when he gave up just one run and four hits in five innings against the Giants and earned the victory for his team in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series. Lackey went 3-4 in 14 postseason appearances with the Angels.

4. Dean Chance – He went from being a part-time starter as a rookie to one of the best pitchers in franchise history during his six-year run (1961-66). Chance’s 1964 season was even better than Singer’s nearly a decade later. He earned the first Cy Young Award in franchise history and finished fifth in the MVP race after posting 207 strikeouts and leading the league with a 20-9 record, 15 complete games, 278 1/3 innings, a 1.65 earned run average and 11 shutouts, with those last two marks setting team records.

Chance won at least 12 games five times with the Angels and struck out more than 160 batters on four occasions. He posted a 74-66 record and ranks second in franchise history in ERA (2.83), third in shutouts (21), sixth in complete games (48), ninth in strikeouts (857) and tenth in innings (1,236 2/3). Chance pitched a no-hitter in 1967 after being traded to the Twins, and he also spent time with the Indians, Mets and Tigers before he retired in 1971. He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2015 and passed away after that season.

3. Mike Witt – He spent a decade in Southern California (1981-90) and posted five straight seasons with double-digit victories. Witt started the run with a 15-11 record and 196 strikeouts in 1984, and he also tossed the 13th perfect game in Major League Baseball history, a 1-0 gem against the Rangers on the last day of the regular season. After a 15-9 mark in 1985, Witt earned All-Star selections in each of the next two seasons.

His best performance was 1986, when he finished third in the Cy Young race after setting career bests with an 18-10 record, a 2.84 earned run average, 208 strikeouts, 269 innings, 14 complete games and three shutouts. He ranks third in franchise history in complete games (70), fourth in wins (109-107), games started (272), innings (1,965 1/3) and strikeouts (1,283), seventh in games pitched (314) and tenth in shutouts (10). Witt made three postseason appearances with California and had a complete game victory in Game 1 of the 1986 ALCS against Roger Clemens and the Red Sox. He would have been the winner in Game 5 as well if the bullpen hadn’t imploded.

In his final season with the Angels, Witt faced speculation about being traded to the Yankees and was also relegated to the bullpen. However, he was a part of history on April 11, when he relieved Mark Langston in the eighth inning and threw two perfect frames to finish the combined no-hitter against the Mariners (striking out rookie Ken Griffey Jr. to end the game), making Witt the only pitcher to throw a complete game no-hitter and be a reliever in another. He was traded to New York for Dave Winfield exactly one month later but injured his elbow in in second start with his new team. Witt retired in 1993 after making just 27 starts with the Yankees.

2. Jered Weaver – He pitched for 11 seasons with the Angels (2006-16), winning at least 10 games in 10 of those seasons and leading the league in victories twice. Weaver was selected as an All-Star and finished in the top five in the Cy Young voting in three straight seasons. He was the runner-up in 2011, when he went 18-8 with a 2.41 earned run average and 198 strikeouts.

In 2010, Weaver balanced a 13-12 record with a league-best 233 strikeouts. Two years later, he led the A. L. and set a career-high with a 20-5 mark to go with a 2.81 ERA and finished third in the Cy Young race. Weaver is second in franchise history in victories (150-93) and games started (322) and third in both strikeouts (1,598) and innings (2,025), and he also has 14 complete games and eight shutouts.

Weaver went 2-1 in seven career postseason appearances, but he was left off the World Series roster in 2014 and the postseason roster the following year. He was a friend of Nick Adenhart, a young pitcher with the Angels who died in a hit-and-run accident in 2009 in which the drive of the other vehicle was under the influence. Weaver named his son Aden in honor of his former teammate.

1. Nolan Ryan – He spent nine of his 27 major league seasons in California (1972-79), coming to the Angels in a trade with the Mets along with three other players for shortstop Jim Fregosi. Ryan went from underperforming starter to “The Express,” a dominant flamethrower who posted double-digit victories in all his seasons on the West Coast (and 20 times overall), led the league in strikeouts seven times (including more than 300 on five occasions) and earned five All-Star selections.

Ryan’s first season with the Angels was amazing, with the Texan going 19-16 with a 2.28 earned run average (which also ranks second in team history), a league-best 329 strikeouts and a career-best and league-leading nine shutouts (second in team history). He took things to another level the following year, finishing as the Cy Young runner-up after posting a 21-15 mark with a 2.87 ERA and a modern major league record 383 strikeouts. He reached the record with 16 strikeouts in an 11-inning performance in his final start. He might have had even more had the American League not adopted the designated hitter that season.

Despite the Angels finishing in last place, “The Express” rolled along in 1974, with Ryan finishing third in the Cy Young voting after going 22-16 (tied for the franchise record) with a 2.89 ERA, matching his previous year’s career-high (and team record) with 26 complete games and leading the league with 367 strikeouts and 332 2/3 innings (a team record). Despite leading the league with 18 losses in 1976, he also posted A.L.-high marks of 327 strikeouts and seven shutouts. The following year, he went 19-16, led the league by fanning 341 batters and completing 22 games, leading to a third-place finish in the Cy Young race.

Ryan’s strikeout totals fell in his final two seasons with California, but he still led the league both years and topped the junior circuit with five shutouts in 1979. While his fastball was devastating to opposing hitters, Ryan spent most of his career trying to maintain control of the pitch. He is the all-time franchise leader in strikeouts (2,416), complete games (156), and shutouts (40), but also walks (1,302). Ryan ranks second on the team list in innings (2,181 1/3), third in wins (138-121) and games started (288), fourth in ERA (3.07) and tenth in games pitched (291).

Other than the strikeouts, Ryan is best known for his no-hitters. He threw a record seven in his career, with four coming in an Angels uniform, two in 1973 and one in each of the next two seasons. Ryan went 324-292 in his illustrious career and is baseball’s all-time leader with 5,714 strikeouts (11 seasons leading the league) and 2,795 walks (eight times in the top spot). He currently holds 51 major league pitching records, including 15 times striking out at least 200 batters and six times getting to 300, striking out at least 16 batters in a game 16 times and reaching 19 four times (pitching past nine innings on three of those occasions). Despite all these accolades, Ryan never won the Cy Young Award.

Ryan won a title with the “Miracle Mets” in 1969 and made his only playoff appearance with the Angels a decade later in his final season with the team. He took a no-decision against the Orioles in his only start in the 1979 ALCS, giving up one earned run in seven innings in Game 1, which the Angels lost in the tenth. Ryan had runs with the Astros and Rangers and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 after being marked on 491 of 497 ballots (98.8 percent).

Left-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Jim Abbott broke barriers as one of the most celebrated athletes with a disability in baseball history. Born without a right hand, he put his glove over the stub during his delivery and quickly switched it to his left hand to field the ball. After a catch, he would slide the glove under his right arm. Abbott earned a gold medal as a member of Team USA in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and was a star at the University of Michigan.

Abbott was taken in the 36th round by the Blue Jays in the 1985 Draft but didn’t sign. The move paid off, since he was the eighth overall selection by the Angels three years later. He won 47 games in his first stint with California and finished third in the Cy Young voting in 1991 after going 18-11 with a 2.89 earned run average.

Abbott struggled in his two seasons with the Yankees but threw a no-hitter against the Indians in late 1993. He returned to the Angels in 1995 and led the league with 18 losses the following year, which included a midseason demotion to the minors and a release at the end if the season. Abbott took 1997 off to be with family and work on charities. He returned for one season each with the White Sox and Brewers before retiring in 1999. Abbott went 54-74 with a 4.07 ERA in six seasons with California (1989-92 and 95-96).

Rudy May began his career with the Angels as a 20-year-old in 1965. After three years spent in the minor leagues and fulfilling army commitments, he joined the team for good in 1969, amassing three double-digit victory totals and striking out at least 150 batters three times. In seven seasons with California (1965 and 69-74), he went 51-76 and ranks seventh in franchise history with 12 shutouts, tied for ninth with 35 complete games and tenth with 844 strikeouts.

Geoff Zahn spent the final five seasons (1981-85) of a 15-year career with California, posting a 52-42 record in 123 games. His best season was 1981, when he got some Cy Young Award consideration after going 18-8 with a 3.73 earned run average. Three years later, he led the American League with five shutouts. Zahn ranks sixth in franchise history with 13 shutouts and is tied for seventh with 42 complete games. He lost his only start against the Brewers in the 1982 ALCS.

Many people would look at George Brunet‘s stats and think he should be a “dishonorable” mention. After all, he led the league in losses for two straight years (19 in 1967 and 17 in ’68). However, he had a high strikeout rate and a low earned run average both years, dropping to 2.86 in 1968. Over six seasons with California (1964-69), he went 54-69 with 678 strikeouts and 33 complete games. He is tied for fourth in franchise history with 14 shutouts and ranks sixth with a 3.13 ERA.

5. Jarrod Washburn – He took a while to prove he belonged in the Angels rotation, but he produced some solid seasons once he got there. He reached double figures in victories four straight years and his best season was 2002, when he went 18-6 with a 3.15 earned run average and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting. Washburn won a game against the Yankees in that year’s Division Series but got shelled twice by the Giants in the World Series.

Washburn finished just outside the top 10 in Angels franchise history with a 75-57 record, and he also had a 3.93 ERA and 699 strikeouts in 1,153 1/3 innings. He went 1-3 in eight postseason appearances.

4. Clyde Wright – He spent his first four years as a spot starter and long reliever before getting waived and sent to winter ball when no other team claimed him. Wright learned how to throw a screwball, which helped him move into the rotation full-time in 1970. That season, he earned his only All-Star selection and was named Comeback Player of the Year after setting a team record for victories (tied four years later by Nolan Ryan) with a 22-12 mark to go with a 2.83 earned run average and seven complete games. He also threw a no-hitter against the Athletics on July 3. Two years later, he went 18-11 with a 2.98 ERA.

Wright pitched for eight seasons with California (1966-73), reaching double-digit victories five times. He ranks fifth in franchise history in complete games (51), ninth in wins (87-85), ERA (3.28) and innings (1,403 1/3) and tied for ninth in games started (189). Wright went 9-20 with the Brewers in 1974 and ended his career with the Rangers the following year.

3. Mark Langston – After a solid start to his career with the Mariners, he was traded to the Expos in the 1989 deal that brought Randy Johnson to Seattle. Langston signed with California the following year and posted double-digit victories five times in eight seasons (1990-97) while alternating between poor seasons in even years and mostly great ones in odd years. He also earned three All-Star selections and five gold gloves, including 1991, when he went 19-8 with an even 3.00 earned run average, 183 strikeouts and seven complete games.

Langston ranks eighth in franchise history in wins (88-74), games started (210), innings (1,445 1/3) and strikeouts (1,112) to go with a 3.97 ERA and 34 complete games. He joined the Padres in 1998 and pitched in the World Series that year, giving up three runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Yankees. Langston finished off his career with the Indians in 1999.

Langston’s best performance with the Angels was his first. Major League Baseball had a shortened spring training in 1990 due to a lockout and Langston had worked just four innings in his final spring start. On April 11, he threw seven no-hit innings against his former team but was exhausted by the end. Mike Witt, whose spot Langston took in the rotation, came in and finished off the gem, retiring the final six batters in order.

2. Frank Tanana – He spent his first eight seasons with California (1973-80), winning at least 14 games every year from 1974-78 and earning three All-Star selections. Tanana led the league with 269 strikeouts in 1975 (breaking Ryan’s stranglehold on the stat) and also with a 2.54 earned run average and seven shutouts in 1977. However, his best season was in between, when he went 19-10 with a 2.43 ERA, 261 strikeouts in 288 1/3 innings and 23 complete games (third in team history) and finished third in the Cy Young race.

Tanana went 18-12 in 1978 before falling off his final two years with the Angels. He ranks second in franchise history in complete games (92) and shutouts (24), fifth in ERA (3.08), innings (1,615 1/3) and strikeouts (1,233), tied for fifth in wins (102-78) and seventh in games started (218). He got a no-decision against the Orioles in his only start in the 1979 ALCS.

Tanana was traded to the Red Sox in a deal involving outfielder Fred Lynn. He pitched with five teams after leaving the Angels, most notably the Tigers, and retired after splitting 1993 with the Mets and Yankees. Tanana finished his 21-year career with a 240-236 record, a 3.66 ERA and 2,773 strikeouts.

1. Chuck Finley – He is the longest-tenured pitcher on this list, spending 14 years with the Angels (1986-99) and reaching double figures in victories 10 times, including six seasons with at least 15. The four-time All-Star went 18-9 in back-to-back seasons, finishing in seventh place in the Cy Young voting in 1990 after posting a 2.40 earned run average and 177 strikeouts.

Finley led the league with 13 complete games in 1993 and topped the junior circuit with 25 starts and 183 1/3 innings in the strike-shortened season that followed. He struck out more than 200 batters three times, with a high of 214 in 1996.

The southpaw is the all-time franchise leader in wins (165-140), games started (379) and innings (2,675), and he ranks second in strikeouts (2,151), third in games pitched (436), fourth in complete games (57) and tied for fourth in shutouts (14) to go with a 3.72 ERA). He earned his final All-Star selection in 2000 with the Indians and retired after splitting the 2002 season with Cleveland and St. Louis. He had three scoreless outings coming out of the bullpen against the Red Sox in the 1986 ALCS.

Outside of baseball, Finley was married to Tawny Kitaen, an actress and music video dancer. The relationship was doomed from the start, with both alleging domestic abuse and substance dependency by the other spouse. The two divorced in 2002 and Kitaen passed away in 2021. Finley was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2009.

Relievers

Honorable Mentions – Dave LaRoche pitched for six seasons with California in two stints (1970-71 and 77-80). He earned two All-Star selections, on with the Indians in 1976 and another after he was traded to the Angels during the following year. LaRoche had his best season in 1978, when he went set career highs with a 10-9 record and 25 saves. Overall, he went 35-32 with a 3.65 earned run average. LaRoche ranks seventh in franchise history with 65 saves and eighth with 304 games pitched.

Donnie Moore came to the Angels in the mid-1980s and spent four seasons with the club (1985-89). He earned his only career All-Star selection in his first season with California after going 8-8 with a 1.92 earned run average and 31 saves. In 1986, he had 21 saves, but his ERA jumped by more than a run per game. The reason turned out to be a bone spur near his spinal cord which led to a dependence on alcohol.

Despite pitching through pain, Moore was the team’s most trusted reliever, and he was called upon to hold onto a lead in Game 5 of the ALCS. However, he gave up the go-ahead home run to Dave Henderson in the ninth inning. Although the Angels tied the score in the bottom of the inning, the Red Sox won the game in the 11th and ran through their opponents in the final two games to reach the World Series. Moore lasted two more years with the Angels, finishing with a 19-17 record, a 2.75 ERA and 61 saves.

Moore’s depression continued to build, with the Henderson home run, being released by the Royals, plus a failed marriage that included claims of domestic abuse and a squandering of his baseball salary, creating more and more issues in his life. An attempt to reconcile with his wife went awry and he chased her around his house, shooting her in the neck, lungs and chest until she got away and her 17-year-old daughter drove her to the hospital. Meanwhile, Moore committed suicide in front of his two sons.

Ernesto Frieri spent most of his career outside of Los Angeles as a setup man but had two solid seasons during his three-year stint with the Angels (2012-14). After coming over from the Padres, he had 23 saves, a 2.32 earned run average and 80 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings. In 2013, Frieri’s ERA dropped, but he set a career high with 37 saves and struck out 98 batters in 68 2/3 innings. After his stats plummeted, he was traded to the Pirates and hung on until 2017. With Los Angeles, Frieri went 6-9 with a 3.80 ERA and 216 strikeouts in 154 innings (a 12.6 K/9 ratio) and 71 saves, which is tied for fourth in team history.

Huston Street had solid runs in Oakland (2005 Rookie of the Year), Rockies and Padres (two-time All-Star) before being traded to Los Angeles after the All-Star break in 2014. He had a 1.71 earned run average and 17 saves after the trade, and that number jumped to 40 the following year. The final two seasons of his four-year run with the Angels (2014-17) was ruined by a knee injury that required surgery. He went 7-7 with a 3.37 ERA and 66 saves, which ranks sixth on the franchise list.

5. Scot Shields – He is the only non-closer on this list, splitting his time between middle relief, setup work and the occasional start. Shields’ best season was 2005, when he went 10-11 with a 2.75 earned run average, 98 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings and a franchise record 78 games. Shields spent his entire 10-year career with the Angels (2001-10), going 46-44 with 21 saves and 631 strikeouts in 697 innings. He ranks second in franchise history in games pitched (491) and seventh in ERA (3.13). Shields went 1-2 in 17 postseason appearances and pitched in one game during the 2002 World Series.

4. Brian Fuentes – He came to the Angels after earning three All-Star selections with the Rockies. Although he only pitched two seasons with Los Angeles (2009-10), his time was memorable. Fuentes went 1-5 in his first season but led the league with 48 saves, which is the second-best single season total in franchise history. The following year, he had 23 saves in 39 games before he was traded to the Twins in August for a player to be named that turned out to be Loek van Mil, the tallest player in Major League history (who never played a game at the big-league level). Fuentes ended his career by splitting the 2012 season between the Athletics and Cardinals, and he finished with 204 saves in 12 years.

3. Bryan Harvey – After a brief callup in 1987, he assumed the closer role the following year, finishing as the Rookie of the Year runner-up after posting 17 saves and a 2.13 earned run average. Harvey had 25 saves in each of the next two years, then earned his first All-Star selection and the Rolaids Relief Award when he had a 1.60 ERA and led the league with 46 saves in 1991.

Harvey missed considerable time the following year due to a strained elbow that required surgery. The injury limited him to 13 saves and resulted in the Angels making him available in the expansion draft. Harvey was selected by the Marlins, and he was an All-Star in the team’s expansion year after he had 45 saves and a 1.70 ERA.

In six seasons with California (1987-92), the forkball specialist went 16-20 with a 2.49 ERA and 365 strikeouts in 307 2/3 innings. His 126 saves rank fourth in franchise history. He dealt with a groin injury and a torn forearm muscle during his time with Florida which shortened his career and caused his early retirement in 1996.

2. Francisco Rodriguez – He went from a dominant setup man his first three seasons to an elite closer for the rest of his time in Southern California (2002-08). Rodriguez was a participant in the 2002 MLB Futures Game and pitched in five games during the regular season. He excelled in the postseason, giving up four earned runs in 18 2/3 innings to help his team win its only World Series.

After Troy Percival left following the 2004 season, “K-Rod” took over, saving at least 40 games in each of the next four years and leading the league three times. He had 45 in 2005, followed by 47 and 40. In 2008, he set a had a 2.24 earned run average, struck out 77 batters in 68 1/3 innings, led the league with 76 appearances and saved 62 games, a Major League record that still stands. The performance earned him a third All-Star selection, a third-place finish in the Cy Young voting and the sixth-highest spot in the MVP race.

Rodriguez finished his Angels career with a 23-17 record and 587 strikeouts in 451 2/3 innings and a 2.35 ERA. He ranks second in franchise history with 208 saves and fourth with 408 games pitched. He went 5-4 with three saves and 41 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings over 21 playoff outings. The two-time Rolaids Relief Award winner signed with the Mets the following year and spent time with three other teams. He retired in 2017 with 437 saves, a mark that ranks fourth in Major League history.

1. Troy Percival – How do you top the league record holder for single-season saves? You give your team a boost from the back of the bullpen for a decade. Percival may not have been as dynamic as Rodriguez, but he was one of the most consistent closers in the game during his 10 seasons in Anaheim (1995-2004). Percival was a four-time All-Star who started off as a setup man behind Hall of Famer Lee Smith. Once he inherited the closer position after Smith was traded in 1996, he had at least 25 saves in nine straight seasons with a high of 42 in 1998.

His best season was 2002 when he went 4-1 with 40 saves, 68 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings and a 1.92 earned run average. Although Percival had a hiccup in the Division Series against the Yankees, he matched his regular season consistency throughout the postseason, earning seven saves in nine outings, including three against the Giants in the World Series.

Percival went 29-38 with the Angels and struck out 680 batters in 586 2/3 innings. He is the all-time franchise leader in saves (316) and games pitched (579), and he ranks third in ERA (2.99). Percival went to the Tigers as a free agent but had a dismal season in 2005. A right forearm injury was proven to be the cause and he missed the following year as well.

After starting 2007 as a coach with the Angels, he tried a comeback with the Cardinals. Percival had a renaissance with the Rays in 2008 (28 saves), but he was ineffective the following year and retired. He finished his 14-year career with 358 saves, which ranks 13th in baseball history.

Percival spent his post-playing career as a coach, following his son, Cole, from high school to UC Riverside, where he was managed by his father from 2015 to 2020, before the season was canceled thanks to the COVID pandemic. Percival resigned to help Cole train and eventually join the professional ranks when he was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 31st round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

The next series will feature the Los Angeles Dodgers.