AngelsWin.com Today: #31 – 1986: The Birth of Wally World | Top-50 Greatest Moments in Angels Baseball

[AngelsWin.com]

Wally Joyner gives Jimmie Reese a kiss in 1989. (Getty)

When Wallace Keith “Wally” Joyner started the season in 1986, he had some big shoes to fill. Those shoes belonged to future Hall of Famer Rod Carew, who retired at the conclusion of the 1985 season. Wearing uniform No. 21, no one knew how the baby-faced 23-year-old lefty would do.

On April 9, Joyner hit his first home run off Seattle’s Mark Langston in just his second game as a Major Leaguer. Angels fans immediately embraced the rookie. Chants of “WAL-LY! WAL-LY! WAL-LY!” broke out during every one of his at-bats. Anaheim Stadium soon became known as “Wally World” to the fans and media.

For six weeks, Joyner ruled the American League, slugging 16 home runs by May 26. Joyner also had a knack for timely hitting to go with his surprising power. He played spectacular defense and had a wholesome, infectious smile.

Joyner became a national sensation, as he reached 20 home runs by the All-Star break. He became the first rookie ever voted as a starter in the All-Star Game. Joyner batted third for the American League in 1986 and tied the Mets’ Darryl Strawberry for the most home runs in the All-Star Home Run Derby.

Joyner finished up 1986 with a .290/.348/.457 line on the year with 22 home runs and 100 RBI. A staph infection, suffered in early August, sapped his strength for the rest of the season. The illness required Joyner to be hospitalized after Game 3 of the American League Championship Series and he missed the rest of the series. In one of the more controversial Rookie of the Year votes, Joyner finished second to Jose Canseco.

In 1987, Joyner had his best year, posting a .285/.366/.528 line with 34 home runs and 117 RBI. He became the ninth player in Major League history to have back-to-back 100 RBI seasons at the start of his career.

Following the 1992 season, Joyner signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals. He played for four years with the Royals before they traded him to the San Diego Padres. After four years in San Diego, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves. Finally, in 2001, he returned to the Angels, where he retired on June 16, 2001.

As an Angel, Joyner ranks ninth in RBI, 10th in doubles, 11th in at-bats, 12th in hits, batting average and home runs, and 13th in slugging percentage and runs scored. Defensively, amongst all Angels first basemen, he ranks first in total chances, put outs, assists and double plays, and had a career .994 fielding percentage.

Anaheim Stadium has had many names over the years, but none have been as fun as the time when it was called “Wally World” and echoed with chants of “WAL-LY! WAL-LY! WAL-LY!”

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL198905170.shtml

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[Chuck]

Was Wally Joyner everyone'ss favorite player through the 80's or what? I know some Angels' fans that till this day, even through the Trout era that he's still their favorite player on the Angels. 

[Keener]

14 year old me was a Wally World mark of the highest order.

[Angels#1Fan]

Wally World was a lot of fun that ended way too soon.

[Chuck]

2 minutes ago, Angels#1Fan said:

Wally World was a lot of fun that ended way too soon.

Totally agree. 

[Angel Oracle]

If not for that staph infection, who knows what his rookie numbers would have been.

[Billy_Ball]

He had such an effortless sweet swing.  Loved Wally.

How about the guy that was supposed to replace him...Lee Stevens!

[Second Base]

I wasn't even a year old when Wally first made it up to the majors, but as soon as  I was old enough to understand what was going on, he was my favorite player, and remained so until the day he retired.  That mantle was eventually passed to Vlad Guerrero, and now it belongs to Trout, and will probably belong to Trout for the remainder of my life. 

[HALOS23]

I was 12 when Wallace Keith Joyner started for the Angels. I remember not wanting to like him because he was replacing Rod Carew, who's batting stance I tried to emulate so many times playing baseball with neighborhood friends. Then he started hitting home runs & scooping every throw in the dirt. I'm sure Doug DeCinces loved him. How could I not? Yes, Wally World became my world. I collected every rookie baseball card of his that I could. Topps, Donruss, Fleer, Score, etc.. I remember playing RBI baseball & was so excited using him & Reggie Jackson back to back in the lineup. 

When he signed with KC, I was so disheartened. Back then, I only had my local newspaper ( San Diego Union) to rely on via the box score to see how he was doing. Certainly, wasn't the same. When he was traded to San Diego, I remember jumping up & down the hallway of my home. While he wasn't going to be an Angel anymore, he was coming back to California & I'd get to see him play again. 

And Wally World, to a smaller degree, was reborn in San Diego. 

Also, I always thought it was cool that Wally Joyner was in the movie, Stealing Home.