Tag: Los Angeles Angels

Former UCLA star Griffin Canning dominates latest outing

Former UCLA pitcher Griffin Canning was great in the latest win over the Dodgers.

It has been a tough season for former UCLA Baseball pitcher Griffin Canning and his Los Angeles Angels teammates. Canning is just 5-12 on the season, but his latest outing may have been his best of the 2024 season.

Canning threw 6.2 innings, allowing just 4 hits and a single run against the cross-town rival Dodgers. The right-hander struck out 7 batters and walked 4 in the 10-1 blowout win.

The win for the Angels was their third in the last four games.  Despite that, the Angels are in last place in the American League West with a 58-81 record. Canning will likely make an additional 3-4 starts before the 2024 season comes to an end.

The 28-year-old made his debut with the Angels back in 2019. The Mission Viejo native has a career 24-33 record, with an ERA just under 4.75. He was the winner of the Gold Glove Award in the American League during the 2020 season.

At UCLA, he went 7-4 in 17 starts, striking out 140 batters. Canning is a free agent following this season.

The Angels had the perfect description for Shohei Ohtani on the scoreboard in return to Anaheim

Well played, Angels!

Shohei Ohtani didn’t have to travel far for his return to Anaheim as a member of the Dodgers (well, depending on traffic). And despite the two-way star signing across town with the Dodgers, the Angels did give Ohtani a warm greeting in Tuesday night’s game.

The scoreboard operator also had some fun with the homecoming.

As Ohtani came to the plate in the fifth inning — which followed the first-inning standing ovation and triple in the third — the Angel Stadium scoreboard displayed a bio section that succinctly described Ohtani’s relationship with the Angels.

The graphic simply read, “Used to work here.”

Hey, that’s not wrong!

We’re glad someone captured a photo of the scoreboard because it was excellent work.

MLB fans thought it was hilarious as well.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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Watch Ben Joyce throw the fastest recorded strikeout pitch in MLB history at 105.5 MPH

Straight. Gas.

We knew this day would come with Ben Joyce, didn’t we?

The Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher has been throwing straight gas since his days in college at Tennessee, and he brought that heat to the majors, where we’ve seen him throw 103.9 MPH and then a pitch that was 104.7 MPH.

On Tuesday? He dialed it up to 105.5 MPH, which would be the fastest recorded strikeout pitch ever in the era of pitch tracking. He did it against Tommy Edman, and it’s worth noting that it’s so close to the fastest recorded pitch, a 105.8 MPH ball thrown by — who else? — Aroldis Chapman.

Watch this:

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Angels fans welcomed Shohei Ohtani back to Angel Stadium with the classiest standing ovation

This was such a classy gesture from Angels fans.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani finally made his grand return to Angel Stadium after leaving the Los Angeles Angels in the offseason.

While it had to sting that Ohtani left for the other major baseball franchise in L.A., Angels fans gave the baseball great a standing ovation as he stepped up to bat against his former team on Tuesday evening.

This was such a classy move by Angels fans to give one of the best players who ever sported an Angels jersey a warm welcome back home, as he undoubtedly gave them plenty of wonderful memories over the years.

While he’s now the competitor on the baseball diamond, it’s clear that Ohtani still has a special place in plenty of hearts at Angel Stadium.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1831145953484554444

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The Mariners turned the weirdest double play after the Angels horribly botched the bunt on a squeeze play

That’s a new one.

The Angels are a last-place team for a reason. They’re near the bottom of the league in runs scored, and even attempts at producing runs via small ball seem to backfire.

But I don’t think anyone could have foreseen a squeeze play going the way it did on Saturday night against the Mariners.

With Jack Lopez at the plate and a runner on third with no outs, Ron Washington looked to catch the Mariners napping by dialing up a squeeze play. Taylor Ward took off from third on the pitch, and all Lopez had to do was lay down a half-decent bunt.

Spoiler: He did not.

https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1830095200632385949

While Lopez did manage to get his bunt down in fair territory, the ball astonishingly stopped on the plate. That allowed catcher Cal Raleigh to quickly pick up the baseball and tag Ward out at home.

Lopez might have even gotten tagged in that initial mayhem, but just to make sure, Raleigh alertly tossed the ball to Justin Turner to complete the double play. And just like that, the Angels went from potentially taking the lead to ending the eighth with a scoreless effort. Despite the mishap, the Angels went on to win, 5-4.

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Former Clemson pitcher makes MLB debut on same day as call-up

Former Clemson pitcher Ryan Miller had an impressive outing in his Major League Baseball debut for the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

Former Clemson Tigers pitcher Ryan Miller made his major league debut on the same day he was brought up from Triple A.

Miller, who pitched for Clemson from 2017-18, threw a perfect seventh inning in relief for the Los Angeles Angels during their 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Tuesday night.

The 28-year-old right-hander retired all three batters he faced, getting light-hitting Ryan Kreidler on a fly ball to right before striking out two batters — catcher Jake Rogers and leadoff man Parker Meadows — to end the inning.

Miller appeared in 34 games this season for the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels’ Triple A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League. He compiled a 5-1 record and a 2.45 ERA in 61 2/3 innings. Miller struck out 61 batters and walked 14, holding opponents to a .212 average and 0.99 WHIP.

In two seasons at Clemson, Miller posted an 8-1 record and a 2.59 ERA. He struck out 75 while walking 19 over 81 1/3 innings before being selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth round (No. 189 overall) of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft.

Aside from the Diamondbacks, Miller also spent time in the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox organizations before the Angels selected him in Major League Baseball’s annual Rule 5 Draft last December.

In five minor league seasons, Miller is 19-13 with a 3.76 ERA over a span of 139 career games. He had 224 strikeouts in 225 innings pitched in that time.

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Former Notre Dame star Niko Kavadas hits 3-run homer for first MLB hit

Talk about a big way to announce your arrival?

Former Notre Dame infielder [autotag]Niko Kavadas[/autotag] made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 16.

Entering the ninth inning of Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was hitless in his first 14 big-league at-bats. It turned out he merely was lying in the weeds waiting for the right moment to say he’d arrived.

The Angels were trailing, 5-0, with two outs in the ninth innings and runners on first and second. Kavadas, who only has been a designated hitter so far in the bigs, stepped up to the plate. After working a 1-2 count and getting down to the Angels’ final strike, Kavadas swung and, well, look what happened:

This also was a big moment for St. Joseph County according to local sportscaster Chuck Freeby:

The Angels wound up losing, 5-3, but it was a night Kavadas never will forget. Let this be the first of many big moments for him at baseball’s highest level.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Angels broadcast caught an umpire wearing a Kramer shirt under his uniform

Giddyup.

We can only imagine what umpires wear under their uniforms while calling games, but let’s remember that they’re humans like the rest of us.

During the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels game on Saturday night, the L.A. broadcast noticed umpire James Hoye wearing a Kramer from Seinfeld shirt — it’s the one of his infamous portrait known as “The Kramer” — under his uniform and had so much fun with it.

RELATED: The 44 greatest sports-themed Seinfeld moments

“That’s Kramer on his shirt!” Wayne Randazzo exclaimed, and he and Mark Gubicza started laughing a lot. It’s too perfect.

Here’s that great moment:

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Ben Joyce records second save in Tennessee checkerboard cleats

Former Vol pitcher Ben Joyce records second save in Tennessee checkerboard cleats against the Braves.

Los Angeles (53-69) defeated Atlanta (64-58), 3-2, on Friday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.

Former Tennessee pitcher Ben Joyce recorded his second save of the season for the Angels. He pitched 1.2 innings, recording one strikeout and did not allow a hit, run or walk. Joyce totaled 14 pitches, including 10 strikes.

The former Vol also wore Tennessee checkerboard cleats in the game.

Joyce was a third-round selection by the Angels in the 2022 MLB draft.

He played for the Vols from 2021-22 after transferring from Walters State Community College. Joyce did not play in 2021 due to rehabbing from offseason surgery.

He appeared in 27 games and started one contest during his final season at Tennessee in 2022. Joyce totaled 53 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched during the 2022 campaign.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Former Notre Dame baseball star Niko Kavadas is headed to the big leagues

Congrats Niko!

It been a whirlwind last few weeks for former Notre Dame star first baseman [autotag]Niko Kavadas[/autotag].

After being drafted by the Boston Red Sox, where he spent his first few professional seasons before being traded in a deadline deal to the Los Angeles Angles.

The change of scenery wasn’t as surprise as Kavadas was blocked by Tristan Casas in Boston and then again with the Angels and Nolan Schanuel. However, it looks like his new team won’t let that stop his ascension, as Chuck Freeby reports that Kavadas will get called up to the major leagues on Friday to make his debut.

While his minor league numbers with his new team don’t look like they’d force the Angels hand, he did enough previous to warrant being called up. Expect Kavadas to primarily be the designated hitter, while getting some opportunities to play his natural position of first base.

Congrats to Niko on achieving his goal of playing at the highest level and continued success there.

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