Angels Pitcher Makes Life-Changing Announcement on Social Media

Congratulations are in order for Los Angeles Angels reliever Ben Joyce.
On Monday, Joyce announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend Anna Leanos via Instagram. The hard-throwing right-hander posted a series of photos capturing the proposal in action.
Leanos shared the news on Jan. 25 with a caption reading: WE’RE ENGAGED!!!!!!" alongside a Bible verse, Matthew 19:6, which reads, “What God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Several of Joyce's teammates commented on the post.
"Yes!!! Let’s freaking go!! Love you both," Logan O'Hoppe wrote.
"Let's gooo taste," Caden Dana added.
"Congrats ya'll," Angels pitching coach Barry Enright posted.
Joyce had a breakout rookie season after incorporating a sinker into his pitch mix, finishing with a 2.08 ERA across 34.2 innings. He was especially dominant in his final 32.2 innings, posting a 0.83 ERA.
The new pitch allowed him get hitters out by pounding the ball into the ground and get out of trouble via double plays.
Joyce also increased the velocity on his four-seam fastball, averaging 102.1 mph and reaching 105.5 mph on what would be his final pitch of the season. That pitch ranked as the third-fastest ever recorded since pitch tracking began in 2008, and it was the hardest pitch thrown in the majors last year.
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With his new-found efficiency combined with heat, Joyce is expected to be the closer in 2025.
“It’s a huge piece,” manager Ron Washington said toward the end of the 2024 season. “You always want to know that. Now we’ve just got to put some pieces in that bullpen that can get the ball to the back end. If our starters can continue to progress the way they’ve progressed this year and give us six or seven innings, maybe we might be a team that only has to play six or seven innings because we’ll have a bullpen that can get us three innings at the end.”
Joyce's importance to the team was on display when they opted to shut him down for the season in mid-September. His MRI revealed shoulder inflammation but the Angels didn't want to take any chances.
“We’re not messing around with that,” Washington said. “The MRI is clean. He hasn’t been throwing. We’re not going to force him into action right now. He’s too big moving forward.”
At only 24, Joyce has a bright future ahead if they Angels can figure out ways to hold a lead heading into the ninth inning setting him up for more save opportunities.