The Old Troy Network

Darin Erstad played through the emotional trauma of a painful divorce in 2001, fought major hamstring injuries the last two years and has endured constant criticism for not generating enough power for a corner infielder making $8 million a season.

But nothing the Angel first baseman has experienced has prepared him for the possibility of peering out at the Angel Stadium mound this weekend and seeing longtime friend and teammate Troy Percival, a former Angel closer whose Detroit Tigers begin a three-game series tonight in Anaheim.

“I would have to say it will be one of the most difficult situations I’ve been through in my entire career,” said Erstad, who spent nine seasons with Percival and is cut from the same competitive cloth as the reliever who had 316 saves with the Angels from 1995 to 2004.

“In past experiences, when I’ve faced former teammates, competitiveness takes over, and you do it. But it’s going to be weird, especially because if he comes in, the game will be on the line. He represents what we stood for here for so many years. To see him in another uniform will be an eye opener, proof that it’s real.”

The camaraderie and respect Erstad feels toward Percival was reflected in the way Erstad gleefully slammed the baseball into the closer’s glove and hugged his teammate after Percival recorded the final out of his 300th save against Texas last July 28 in Anaheim.

But that was only a snapshot of a nine-year friendship that germinated during the late 1990s, survived the near-trade of Erstad in 2002 and hit a high point with the World Series championship in 2002, a title won with Percival on the mound and Erstad catching the final out in center field.

In the cliques that compose a major league clubhouse, it’s unusual for a pitcher, especially a reliever, to form a close bond with a position player. The Angel bullpen, in fact, was like a separate fiefdom for a decade, with Percival serving as president and chief executive officer.

But in Erstad, Percival found a kindred soul, and in Percival, who came to the big leagues a year before the first baseman, Erstad found a mentor.

“He always laid it on the line,” Erstad said. “He was here for one reason, and one reason only: to win. He’s always been about the team, that’s it. That rubs off on guys like myself.

“He kind of defined our team for a long time.”

It was Percival whose voice was often heard in team meetings, who instilled a bulldog mentality in so many Angel relievers, who provided teammates with a kick in the pants or a word of encouragement, whichever was necessary.

The closer protected his relievers like a shepherd does his flock; when the bullpen struggled, Percival wanted the heat. When he blew a save, Percival was at his locker waiting for reporters.

“He was a great teammate,” setup man Scot Shields said. “We’ve plugged a lot of people into the bullpen over the years, and it’s still good. A lot of that had to do with him.”

It still does. When setup man Brendan Donnelly struggled in his first four games this season, giving up five earned runs and two home runs, Percival called the right-hander with some advice. In his next seven games, Donnelly threw 8 2/3 scoreless innings, lowering his earned-run average from 7.94 to 3.14.

“He saw something I wasn’t doing on the mound, and I went back to doing it, and it helped,” said Donnelly, who still speaks with Percival several times a week.

“We’re still friends, and I know he roots for us to do well, just as we root for him to do well. Except when we’re playing against each other.”

When Shields gave up a homer in his first game April 5 and blew a save while filling in for closer Francisco Rodriguez against Texas on April 7, Percival passed some advice to Shields through Donnelly.

“He said even though I’m throwing the seventh and eighth innings, and sometimes the ninth, just pitch like you have your whole career, don’t change anything,” Shields said.

“When you’re a teammate, you’ve got to say that, but he doesn’t have to call across the country and do that. That’s the type of person and player he is.”

To Percival, such leadership came as naturally as the 95-mph fastballs he threw during his prime.

“He was just being himself, and by being himself, he was an incredible beacon to anyone who touched our bullpen or our clubhouse,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said.

“He was happy to pass on any information. He took an incredible amount of pride in the bullpen’s accomplishments, not just his own.

“We had one of the best bullpens in baseball for four or five years, and Percival was a huge reason for that.”

The Angels still have one of baseball’s best bullpens without Percival, who signed a two-year, $12-million deal with the Tigers in November after the Angels did not offer him a contract.

Rodriguez, a 23-year-old right-hander with a 94-mph fastball and a wicked slider, may not have the leadership qualities of his predecessor, but he has validated the Angels’ decision to let Percival go by converting seven of his first eight save opportunities and going 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his first 11 games.

And Shields and Donnelly have capably filled the setup roles in a bullpen that ranks fourth in the American League with a 2.37 ERA, has limited opponents to a .218 average and has stranded 31 of 32 inherited baserunners to lead the major leagues.

“We’ve obviously moved on, we have a new club, and Percy isn’t here,” Donnelly said. “He’s not forgotten, but it’s 2005, and we have to win here.”

Percival has moved on too.

“I’ve got a lot of friends there and the organization was fantastic to me for 15 years, so there’s no bitterness,” Percival told the Booth Newspaper Group on Thursday.

“But I also have a job to do and don’t have a lot of time to get caught up in emotional situations. I have to get myself prepared to go out and try to win.”

Percival doesn’t think he’ll be overly excited to face his ex-teammates this weekend.

“I really don’t think that will happen because it was such a good situation there for me,” he said.

“I think when a lot of people leave it’s on a bitter note, and I can see where they feel extra incentive when they go against their old team. I’m not worried about that.

“I think I had a pretty good career when I was there, and I don’t feel like I have to prove anything to anybody.”

Percival has had mixed results in Detroit, going 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 11 games and converting two of four save opportunities.

He gave up the first earned run of his career to Minnesota in an April 12 loss, ending a 40-inning streak against the Twins, and blew his first save opportunity of the season April 22, giving up a game-tying homer to Minnesota’s Justin Morneau.

Percival stormed off the mound and, in a typical display of his stubbornness, insisted on pitching the 10th inning. He retired six consecutive hitters in the ninth and 10th, his longest outing in four years, and the Tigers won in the bottom of the 10th.

In Wednesday night’s 4-3 loss to the Red Sox, Percival struck out Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Kevin Millar in order in the ninth, a nice confidence boost for his return to Anaheim.

“He has a special legacy, he bonded with Angel fans and the whole organization, and his presence would be missed from any clubhouse,” Scioscia said of Percival. “He embodied what a team is about.”

That’s why it will be so odd this weekend to see Percival in the visiting bullpen, which is one tier above the Angel bullpen behind the left-field wall.

“It’s going to be weird looking over my shoulder and seeing him, but it will be good to see him,” Donnelly said. “I don’t know how much we want to see him play, because if he’s in the game, that means they’ll have a late lead.

“But I’m sure a lot of us will meet with him after the game for a few Pepsis.”

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Saving Grace

In 11 major league seasons, the first 10 with the Angels, Troy Percival has racked up 318 saves, tying him with Rick Aguilera on the all-time major league saves list.

*--* Rank Player Saves 1. Lee Smith 478 2. John Franco * 424 3. Trevor Hoffman * 399 4. Dennis Eckersley 390 5. Jeff Reardon 367 6. Randy Myers 347 7. Rollie Fingers 341 8. Mariano Rivera * 338 9. John Wetteland 330 10. Roberto Hernandez * 320 11. Troy Percival * 318 11. Rick Aguilera 318 13. Robb Nen 314 14. Tom Henke 311 15. Rich Gossage 310

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