Michael Lewis Joyce (born February 12, 1941) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox during the and seasons. Listed at , , Joyce batted and threw right-handed.

Early years

Joyce is a native of Detroit, Michigan. He attended Dondero High School in Royal Oak, Michigan, and played college baseball at the University of Michigan, where future MLB All-Star Bill Freehan was a teammate. Joyce was named All Big-10, in .

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

Joyce was signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago White Sox, prior to the 1962 season. His major league debut occurred on July 2, 1962, as the Chisox took on the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, on the road at Tiger Stadium. Joyce pitched one scoreless

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

, in relief of Sox’

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

Frank Baumann. All told, in his two partial MLB seasons, Joyce posted a 2–1 record with a 4.33 earned run average (ERA). In 31 career pitching appearances, he made only one

start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...

. Overall, Joyce gave up 26 runs on 53

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

and 22 walks, while striking out 16 batters in 54.0 career innings of work.

New York Mets system

On March 31, 1964, Joyce was dealt to the New York Mets for cash considerations. By that time, his career had already begun its decline; in a 2011 interview, Joyce revealed that he had indeed injured his pitching shoulder, earlier in Spring, 1964. While having appeared at several levels of the Mets’

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, Joyce never won a single game at any stop, going 0–13 with a 7.09 ERA. Joyce’s brief professional baseball career extended from 1962 through in the White Sox' and Mets' organizations.

References

External links

1941 births Living people Baseball players from Detroit Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago White Sox players Florida Instructional League Mets players Indianapolis Indians players Lynchburg White Sox players Major League Baseball pitchers Michigan Wolverines baseball players Rapiños de Occidente players Savannah White Sox players Baseball players from Wayne County, Michigan Williamsport Mets players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1940s-stub