Troy Percival grew up in the Inland Empire, after his father accepted a position with the City of Riverside Fire Department in 1965. As a child he tried about every activity from karate, to bike racing, basketball, wrestling, football, bowling and guitar. The one constant was always baseball. He attended Midland Elementary School, Alessandro Junior High School and Moreno Valley High School. At Moreno Valley High School, Percival was a four-sport athlete in basketball, football, wrestling and baseball. He lettered in wrestling for two years and baseball for three years.
Upon graduation in 1987, Percival had opportunities to attend Cal-State, Fullerton, Washington State and the University of California at Riverside. Having grown up watching UCR baseball as well as attending the classic Riverside Baseball Invitational, Percival decided to attend UCR. From 1986 to 1990, Percival spent three years as the starting catcher for the UCR baseball team, and his outstanding play caught the attention of major league baseball teams.
In 1990, Percival signed a professional contract as a catcher with the California Angels. Because his throws back to the pitcher were so powerful, the Angels coaching staff converted him to a pitcher. In 1995, Percival made his major league debut as a relief pitcher. In 1996, he became a regular closer for the Angels and had 36 saves with 100 strikeouts in 74 innings. In 1998, he recorded a career high of 42 saves. Percival was a four-time All-Star in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001. In 2002, he had his best season with a 4-1 record, 40 saves, 68 strikeouts and a 1.92 ERA. He was pivotal in helping the Angels to their first World Series Championship, closing out 7 playoff games during their run to the championship. During his career, Percival became one of the Major League’s most dominant closers with 358 career saves and a 3.17 ERA in 703 games as a pitcher for California/Anaheim, Detroit, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
Percival’s dad is Richard and his mom is Barbara. He has a son Cole, age 13, and a daughter Avery, age 9. Percival is currently an assistant coach with the Riverside Poly Baseball Team and coach for both his son’s Pony League travel baseball team and his daughter’s softball team. He obtained his pilot’s license in 2011 and has a great love for outdoor activities. His future goals include completing his degree and continuing to coach at increasingly higher levels of competition.
