The Top Ten highlights of Joe Saunders on the Angels...
- April 20, 2007: Hokie Joe Pitches for Virginia Tech ... after a lone gunman shocks the nation murdering dozens of people on the Virginia Tech campus, Joe Saunders, a Virginia Tech Alum takes the mound at Angels stadium wearing the distinctive purple and orange "VT" cap of the Virginia Tech Hokies baseball team. He guts out a victory over the Orioles.
- May 9, 2009: Saundo Defeats Greinke ... Facing Zach Greinke -at the time the best pitcher in the game - Saunders pitches a complete game shutout in front of the hometown crowd. His .776 Win Probability Added that night remains as his career mark.
- April 6, 2009: Opening Day Start ... With Jered Weaver shelved for the week, Joe Saunders is handed the honor of opening the season for the Angels and he earns the W in a 3-0 triumph.
- July 15, 2008: All Star Game Appearance ... Joe is one of three Angels pitchers named to the American League All Star team and pitches the top of the 3rd inning at New York's American League park, allowing one hit.
- April 9, 2009: The Press Conference ... A few hours after learning of teammate Nick Adenhart's death, Joe and Dustin Moseley meet the media to talk about Nick and the sadness of losing him. Saunders is emotional yet composed, helping Angels fans and all of baseball through the mourning and healing process.
- September 28, 2008: Joe's W is Angels 100th of '08 ... Joe's career high high 9 strikeouts in only 6 IP caps the final game of a great season.
- April 2 - May 4, 2008: Joe goes 5-0 in April and 6-0 to start the season ... Joe makes his mark in the Angels record books with wins in April. Two of the three games in his 115 game Angels career (all starts) with a Win Probability Added over 50% occur in this stretch: April 2 in Minnesota against the Twins is a .611 WPA in 8 IP of a 1-0 win. April 29 is a 5-0 shutout of Oakland at home with Joe accruing a .507 WPA for the game.
- October 17, 2009: ALCS Quality Start ... if the Angels bats had shown up or the bullpen had not blown it in extras, this might be a little higher up the list, but in Game 2 of the '09 ALCS Joe threw 7 IP allowing only 2R on a chilly night when his rising to the occasion was most needed.
- July 25, 2010: The Tearful Goodbye ... as captured by the LA Angels Insider blog, Colonel Saunders was ready to start 115 more games as an Angel and held back tears in saying goodbye.
- August 16, 2005: A Good Debut ... Joe made his major league debut in the middle of a pennant race at home against the Blue Jays. In 7.1 IP he allowed only 2 ER. Frankie blew the save and took the loss that night, denying Joe a W, but getting rid of the butterflies early.
WHERE JOE SAUNDERS RANKS IN ANGELS HISTORY:
Joe was on the starting staff of three divisional winners, appeared in two games for another divisional winner and we will see what happens with this season. He was an All Star, an opening day starter and started three playoff games for the Angels. He was the team's first round draft pick in June of 2002.
- 54 Wins - 15th all time (tied with Jim Abbott and George Brunet)
- .628 Win % - 2nd All Time (rate stats require 500 IP or 50 decisions)
- 2.9 BB/9 - 16th all time (below Kelvim Escobar and just above Mike Witt)
- 115 Games Started - 21st all time
- 2,950 Batters Faced - 21st all time
- 104 ERA+ - Ranks 21st - Kirk McCaskill (1,221 IP) and Ken Forsch (633+ IP) also recorded ERA+ of 104
Here at Halos Heaven we called him Colonel Saunders, The Colonel and Hokie Joe.
Wow....!
2nd all time win %?!?
I would never have thought that. Haren better lite it up or I’m going to hire a Doyer fan to shank him.
Sando was someone you could never hate, no matter the outcome (though as fans, we always find room to hate in a loss, but he was usually an exception).
RedFog - July 26, 2010
Good piece.
Not because I simply want to see what sort of pitcher he is, but he seems like a real guy. I’ll have to push for Colonel Saunders at the Pit.
Wailord - July 26, 2010
you are by far
my favorite all time troll. come back anytime. I have crazy respect for a fan to care about his team enough to post on the trade partner’s site and not say a bad thing about us.
IE Angel - July 26, 2010
I think you mean guest, not troll
our D-back visitors have all represented the Snakepit well
Quad Fin Rider - July 26, 2010
I really enjoyed this.
I think all of us in AZ will take care of The Colonel. Well atleast I will.
BattleMoses - July 26, 2010
You guys better.
We all want to win, but many times character can trump performance (ok, not really, but it should more often).
You are getting one the best peeps in baseball, no matter the outcome.
RedFog - July 26, 2010
Hopefully when HH revises it's next Top 100 Angels list
Hokie Joe’s name will be among them; it clearly belongs there more than some of the others.
Quad Fin Rider - July 26, 2010
I'll never forget
The VT game or the grienke game.
Figgi4life - July 26, 2010 via mobile
Kudos Rev...
More importantly, THANK YOU JOE.
cupie - July 26, 2010
Great work, Rev-ster
and Good Luck, Joe!
Raaddad - July 26, 2010
Fair winds and following seas, Colonel Saunders!
Commander_Nate - July 26, 2010
Thank you Joe
Best of luck to you in Phoenix. We’ll miss you.
Gokyle45 - July 26, 2010
Best of luck to you, Joe!
Downing Rules - July 26, 2010
Good luck, Joe
Let’s hope out paths cross again soon
The Limey - July 26, 2010
Yup, cheers Rev
Joe Saunders deserves a piece like this. With so much negative press surrounding Joe Saunders perceived value in the blogosphere, it’s heartwarming to demonstrate his tangible value to us.
As Torrii Hunter said, Joe was part of the family, and now he’s gone so it is a sad day. As fans we value our players less as ‘assets’ and ‘trade pieces’ but as members of our tribe. Joe will always be one of us.
Thank you Reagins for improving our club, and thank you Joe for enriching it. Come back soon!
TheQuestforMerlin - July 26, 2010
Thanks, Joe, and good luck in Arizona
Hard to see him go, especially after seeing his own reaction to the trade. You can tell he truly loved being an Angel. May he and his original recipe thrive in the desert heat.
Big Easy Halofan - July 26, 2010
Thanks a ton Joe, best of luck in Arizona
No matter the outcome, he was a class dude. The Dbacks fans will love him.
TheKingfish - July 26, 2010
Read the headline and immediately thought
Greinke game. One of my favorite Halos games period.
Good luck, Colonel.
ReggieBullits - July 26, 2010
*BOTH* Greinke games.
red floyd - July 26, 2010
Thanks for putting this together.
The audio was gut-wrenching to hear. Hokie Joe was an Angel through and through. My favorite memory of him was pitching after the VT tragedy. I wish him all the best, and now I have a reason to follow the DBacks.
agent_99 - July 26, 2010
Over the last few years
I don’t think I’ve seen any Angel pitch live at Angel stadium as often as Joe. Good luck with the DBacks
ryanfea - July 26, 2010
Very good piece
Joe Saunders was always one of my favorites because he was not only an Angel, but a fellow Virginian (even if he is from the part of Virginia that the rest of the state hates). He was never the best pitcher, but as you can see from his winning percentage, he is a winner and a good guy.
And just to nitpick real quick, Virginia Tech’s colors are maroon and orange, not purple.
RICangelfan - July 26, 2010
Love ya Joe.........
good luck in Arizona.
norcaliangelsfan - July 26, 2010
Nice write up
A great guy who brought his best effort every five days. Hopefully he builds on his last start, finishes the season strong, and has an excellent career. As long as Joe stays healthy, there is always room on a major league roster for a solid left-handed starter.
Spird - July 26, 2010
Goodbye Joe, and good luck
He may not have had the best stuff, but he was always one of my favorite pitchers. His ability to get a ground ball when he needed a double play was almost magical to me. The VT game will always stand out to me as one of his best, along with the Greinke game and the ALCS game, even though we dropped it.
He’ll be missed around here for sure.
foxpaw - July 26, 2010
Thanks Joe
You’re going to be missed by the fans and by your teammates.
I’ll never forget the VT game or his win against Greinke. He’s had a rough year (so does every pitcher) but he’s been one of my favorite pitchers for a while now. Good luck to you in AZ. You’ll always be welcome at the Big A. D-back fans – take good care of Joe – he’s a good guy.
angelsfan7 - July 26, 2010
I echo the sentiments of everyone here.
We’ll miss you, Joe. Good luck in AZ.
red floyd - July 26, 2010
And my family called him
Junkyard Joe. Just rolls off the tongue. I thought about Joe all day today. It’ll take a while to get over.
Rally Manatee - July 26, 2010
first time i saw joe pitch...
was at the old yankee stadium. he was just called up and going against the yanks. rookie going against the yanks and their bats, joe dominated. i remember betting the game and getting great odds!!! thanks joe. good luck.
chickendinner - July 26, 2010
Thank you, Colonel
yeswecan - July 26, 2010
Saundo you will be missed. I feel for you I really do. And although you were often incosistent, you were most definitely a trooper with a lot of heart. When healthy and focused, as shown by your stats, you were amongst the best
robi s - July 27, 2010
Joe Saunders
is the definition of what an Angel is, and should be. He has character, heart, an indomitable spirit, and never never, ever quit, no matter how bad a game was going for him. I felt proud, and heartbroken, when I learned that he chose to wear #34 with the Diamondbacks. That just shows how much love he had for Nick, for the Angels, and for the Angles fans.
Best of wishes with the Diamondbacks, and with any other team that you happen to find yourself with during your hopefully long, and illustrious career.
You will always be welcome back in Anaheim.
HalosFanInNorCal - July 29, 2010
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