Angels Reliever Goes Viral For All the Wrong Reasons

He made a pretty bad gaffe.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Angels reliever Ben Joyce went viral for a terrible gaffe on Monday as he mistook the Bay Bridge for the Golden Gate Bridge. The Angels are in the Bay Area for their series against the Oakland Athletics, and Joyce snapped a picture of the Bay Bridge for his Instagram, but referred to it as the Golden Gate Bridge.

He was then called out for the error on social media, prompting him to correct the picture. He also responded on X, reposting a picture of his error while saying, "Upon further review this is not the Golden Gate Bridge."

Upon further review this is not the Golden Gate Bridge. https://t.co/vuHIHeP48n

— Ben Joyce (@benjoyce08) July 1, 2024

The Angels social media team replied to the tweet, saying, "so close tho king."

so close tho king

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 2, 2024

The mistake was disastrous as the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, and even one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. They are in two completely different parts of San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge is known for its vibrant orange color.

While the Golden Gate Bridge is the most famous and well known bridge in San Francisco, if not the entire United States, it is not the only bridge in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County, while the Bay Bridge connects San Francisco to Oakland. Both bridges are well known, but the Golden Gate Bridge is a famous landmark in part because it was the tallest and longest suspension bridge when it was built back in 1937.

Joyce was drafted by the Angels in 2022, and has been playing for the Los Angeles Angels since 2023, but he is not originally from California. Joyce hails from Knoxville, Tennessee and went to both high school and college in Tennessee.

He was clearly excited to be in the Bay Area — and now he earned himself a nice history lesson.