#21 1986 season – Anaheim Stadium - Wally World

In 1986, a young rookie named Wally Joyner was called on the take the place of future Hall of Famer Rod Carew. If Wally was nervous, he didn’t show it. In the first eight weeks of the season, the rookie 1B went on a tear.

On May 26, against the Yankees, the Bronx bombers were leading 7-6 in the ninth, with Dave Righetti on the mound. With two outs, and Brian Downing on first, Joyner belted his league leading 16^th home run of the year to put the Angels up 8-7. The win evened the Halos record at 22-22, ending a 5 game losing streak, and pulled them to within a ½ game of first place.

Anaheim Stadium (particularly the right field bleachers) was unofficially renamed “Wally World” as the fans started chanting his name and flashing Wally World signs every time he came to bat. Joyner was so popular, that he became the first rookie voted onto the All-Star team as a starter by the fans. He added to his legacy when he tied for first with Darryl Strawberry in the HR Derby. When his extended set rookie card hit stores later that month, it was worth more than its weight in gold, as collectors snatched it up by the dozen hoping to strike it rich.

A staph infection sapped his strength during the second half of the season, and eventually sidelined him in the playoffs. Nevertheless, Wally finished with a .290 BA, 22 HR, 82 runs, and 100 RBI (including a rookie record 14 game-winning RBI) to finish second in the Rookie of the Year voting after helping the Angels win their third ever divisional title with a record of 92-70. Perhaps the loss of Joyner, and his youthful exuberance, was the biggest factor in the Angels’ collapse to Boston over the last three games of the 1986 ALCS.

In any case, Wally’s megawatt smile, smooth swing, superb defense, and timely hitting made 1986 a year to remember.