Troy Percival
With a ferocious scowl and a blistering fastball, he slammed the door for the Angels, becoming the fiery heart of their 2002 World Series win.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American baseball player·Birthday: August 9·Generation X
Biography
Troy Percival’s journey to the mound was unconventional; he began his professional career as a catcher, only converting to pitcher in the minor leagues after his arm strength proved too potent to ignore. That arm became a weapon for the Anaheim Angels, where he cultivated an aura of intense, almost terrifying focus, stalking the mound from the bullpen to the sound of Metallica's 'Enter Sandman.' He was the definitive finisher for a team known more for its scrappy play than its stars, and his final strikeout to win the 2002 World Series was the cathartic culmination for a franchise that had long waited for glory. After retirement, he channeled that competitive fire into coaching and even a brief, remarkable comeback, proving his connection to the game was never just about the save statistic.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Troy was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Troy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Troy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Recorded 316 saves over a 14-year MLB career, primarily as the closer for the Anaheim Angels.
- Struck out the final batter to secure the Anaheim Angels' first and only World Series championship in 2002.
- Was selected to the American League All-Star team four times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2001).
- Later served as the head baseball coach at the University of California, Riverside.
Did You Know?
He was originally drafted as a catcher and converted to pitching in the minor leagues in 1991.
His walk-out music for save situations was Metallica's 'Enter Sandman,' predating Mariano Rivera's famous use of the song.
He came out of retirement in 2014 to pitch minor league ball for the Angels' affiliate, though he did not return to the majors.
“When I came in, it was my inning. I wasn't sharing it with anybody.”
