BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…August 9, 1969:
One of the most successful of former Boise Hawks, Troy Percival, is born. Percival played two seasons in Boise, the first as a catcher in 1990. His batting average was only .203, but there was a “wow’ factor in the way he fired throws back to the mound. So Hawks manager Tom Kotchman helped convert him to a closer in 1991, when he helped the club to its first Northwest League championship. Percival made it to the California Angels roster in 1995, became their closer in 1996 and became the first Hawks alum ever to play in the All-Star Game in 1997.
Percival notched a career-high 42 saves in 1998, but his best season was 2002, when he recorded 40 saves along with a 4-1 record and a 1.92 ERA. And he was on the mound when Game 7 of the 2002 World Series ended, giving the Halos their only world title. Percival played for the Angels through 2004 before signing as a free agent with Detroit. But he retired in 2006 after one injury-shortened season with the Tigers. Percival then returned in 2007 with St. Louis and pitched another 1½ seasons with Tampa Bay, retiring in 2009. Percival notched 358 career saves, currently 13th on baseball’s all-time list.
Ironically, Percival is now competing against the Hawks. He’s the manager of the Idaho Falls Chukars, who just lost the season-long Highway Series against Boise with a 6-10 record. This isn’t Percival’s first rodeo leading a dugout. He was the coach at UC Riverside from 2015-20 before stepping down to help his son Cole get his career started. What does Percival love about the independent Pioneer League? “You get guys who love baseball,” Percival said in the L.A. Times last winter. “They didn’t get signed to affiliate ball, and they’re just hoping to catch on with somebody, so you’re gonna get a bunch of kids who are hungry, which is right up my alley.”
And Percival remembers his pro beginnings. “I loved my time in Boise—it was a great place to play with great fans—and knowing I get to go back to that (area) is going to be fun for me,” Percival said. “If I didn’t think this was going to be a positive experience, I wouldn’t do it.” Troy Percival is 55 years old today.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
