For Joyner, a Dream Turns Into Nightmare

There are no celebrations, no fireworks, no smiles at Wally World these days. It’s closed, quiet and deserted, as was the Angels’ clubhouse late Sunday afternoon.

The sweet reality of last year’s dream rookie season has faded into a vague fantasy for slumping Wally Joyner.

More than an hour and a half after Sunday’s 6-5 loss to Minnesota, losing pitcher Don Sutton came out of the training room and confronted a group of five reporters who had maintained a vigil waiting for Joyner to appear.

“What’s going on back there is that Wally’s hurting,” Sutton said. “You may not have seen it in a major league clubhouse before, but not many people are man enough to admit it. I would take it as a personal favor if you guys would just let it go this time. We’ll both owe you one.”

So Joyner, who has been cooperative with and accessible to the media, was left alone.

His batting average is just .192, and he made a throwing error in the ninth Sunday that helped the Twins score two runs that ultimately were the difference. He also flied out to end the game with two runners on base.

When reporters first entered the Angels’ clubhouse, Manager Gene Mauch was consoling Joyner, who was slumped in the chair in front of his locker with his head so low between his knees his forehead almost rested on the floor.

“They opened the door too soon,” was Mauch’s only explanation of his short postgame talk with Joyner. “Look, he’s trying to please too many people . . . his teammates, his mother, his dad, you guys, Mickey Mouse, all the characters over there at Disneyland. He’s got to just revel in the fact that he’s a real good ballplayer and just go out and play ball.”

Joyner walked and scored on Jack Howell’s homer in the second inning, and he singled to center in the sixth. He has gotten a hit in 11 of 12 games.

On Saturday, Mauch said Joyner was an asset to the team even when he wasn’t knocking the cover off the ball because of his defense.

“Wally Joyner has big-league instincts, a great feel for the game,” Mauch said.

But his struggle at the plate may have finally carried over to the field in the ninth inning.

Mark Salas opened the inning with a walk, and when Steve Lombardozzi bunted, Joyner charged the ball, made a clean barehanded grab but threw low to second. The ball caromed into shallow left-center and Salas continued on to third. A single, another sacrifice and a ground out later, the Twins had a 6-3 lead.

“I yelled, ‘Second,’ because the catcher was running and I thought we had a shot at him,” catcher Butch Wynegar explained. “Wally was kind of back on his heels, though, and it’s really hard to get anything on the ball when you’re off balance like that.”

Mauch saw the play similarly. He thought his first baseman made half of a great play.

“The ball spun back toward the line and got him a little off balance,” Mauch said. “He made a nice play to grab the ball, and I’ve seen him make that throw lots of times.”

The bottom of the inning may have been a bigger factor in Joyner’s bottoming out emotionally Sunday. He had a chance to make everyone forget the bad throw . . . and maybe even this year’s bad start as well.

Devon White was on third and Ruppert Jones was on first when Joyner stepped to the plate against Twin reliever Jeff Reardon. Reardon got Joyner to swing at a high fastball, and the result was a lazy fly ball to right.