Los Angeles Angels outfielder Matt Joyce has had a terrible start to 2015, and his season got even worse on Monday with an embarrassing gaffe. Joyce thought the Angels' day game on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays was a night game, and was scratched from the starting lineup after showing up late to the ballpark.
Matt Joyce late to Angels day game he thought was at night
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
"It’s one of those things that shouldn’t ever happen, as a guy who’s been around and who has had some service time, I make a mistake," Joyce said before Tuesday night’s game against the Blue Jays.
"I assumed we had a night game because we had a day game [in Baltimore] on Sunday. Normally, we have night games on Monday. By the time I realized it was a day game, it was a little late, and [Manager Mike] Scioscia made the lineup decision and put Collin Cowgill in left field.
Joyce has over five years of major league service time, which makes the mistake even more surprising. But in fairness to Joyce, Monday was the start of a four-game series and normally would have been a night game. However, Monday was Victoria Day in Canada, so the series opener had a 1:07 p.m. ET scheduled start.
Every other game of the series starts at 7:07 p.m.
Joyce is 15-for-105 this season, hitting a putrid .143/.180/.219, not exactly the way to head into free agency next winter.
Joyce showed up on time on Tuesday night and started in left field for the Angels, batting sixth.
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