The Long Beach Baseball Club has hired former World Series Champion and Major League Baseball alum Troy Percival as the first head coach in team history. Percival is known for his dominance as a closer while pitching with the Anaheim Angels for several seasons. 

Jose Molina celebrates winning game six

Troy Percival (left) and Troy Glaus (right) celebrate the Angels’ win over the San Francisco Giants in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series.

Jeff Gross / Getty Images

Percival, now 56, hails from Southern California and played college baseball at the University of California, Riverside, before he was selected by the then-California Angels in the sixth round of the 1990 MLB Draft. He went on to have a successful big league career, compiling 358 saves over 14 seasons, 10 of which he spent with the Angels. 

“Troy Percival represents everything we want this team to stand for — leadership, integrity, and an unrelenting competitive spirit,” said a statement from LBBC President Ena Patel. “He has won at the highest level, developed young players, and built strong communities through the game. We’re thrilled he’s leading us from day one.”

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He was on the mound when the Halos secured their first and only World Series Championship in 2002, getting the San Francisco Giants’ J.T. Snow to fly out to centerfield in front of the Angel Stadium crowd. He spent one season each with the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals before wrapping up his career with the Tampa Bay Rays. Percival was a four-time All-Star and finished his career with a 3.17 ERA and 781 strikeouts in 708 and 2/3s innings. 

After his retirement, Percival has transitioned into coaching and was most recently the manager of another Pioneer League baseball team in the Idaho Falls Chukars. 

“Southern California is home, and Long Beach has an incredible baseball history and community,” Percival said in a statement. “This opportunity to build a team from the ground up, to establish a culture that values hard work, teamwork, and pride in representing this city, is something truly special.”

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Troy Glaus (left) and Troy Percival (right) ahead of a game in Anaheim in 2002.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

The club also hired another former Angel and member of the 2002 World Series team in Troy Glaus. He joins Percival’s staff as an assistant coach. Glaus is also a Southern California native who played college baseball at UCLA before being drafted by the Angels in the first round of the 1997 MLB Draft. 

He debuted in 1997 and played in Anaheim for seven seasons. He was named the 2002 World Series MVP for his heroic performance that helped finally bring a title to the Halos’ franchise. He would play until 2010, spending time with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays and Cardinals. 

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Glaus was a four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger. Since his retirement, Glaus has also ventured into coaching, most recently working for the United States under-18 baseball team’s development program. 

Percival is now tasked with assembling his full coaching staff before LBCC’s inaugural season begins in 2026. The team is still expected to announce its new identity in the coming months, following a community-based vote that helped select three finalist options, including the Long Beach Regulators, the Long Beach Parrots and the Long Beach Coast.

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