Ben Joyce is the only reason people are watching the Angels

Ben Joyce, with an incredible amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins, reared back and delivered his 0-2, 2-out heater to Tommy Edman in the top of the 9th of a tie game.

It clocked at 105.5mph.

Not discussed about Joyce's outing, was that he also hit 104.4mph, 104.0mph, 103.6mph, 103.0mph, and 102.1mph. He averaged 103.8mph.

Before the game, Ben Joyce talked to Erica Weston about facing the Dodgers. He discussed how competitors love showing up and playing the best players on the planet. Joyce certainly was gassed up for this appearance, left it all out on the field, and gave his team a chance to walk it off against the best team in baseball.

The Angels would go on to fly out 3 straight times in the bottom of the 9th, allow 4 runs in the 10th, and lose 6-2.

Ben Joyce has taken the mantle as the team's sole fun player in a lost season

In the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, there was a packed house. Not for Angels baseball, but to watch Shohei Ohtani do Shohei Ohtani things in Anaheim once again.

The Angels are so stranger to fans and viewers watching their team for one or two players alone. Having not made the postseason since 2014, fans have long derided the organization for Mike Trout and Ohtani's prime.

Ben Joyce is now that kind of player, with Mike Trout on the back 9 of his career and Shohei Ohtani in the rival clubhouse during the Freeway Series. "The Volunteer Fireman" is easily the most marketable player on the team, always making headlines with his other-wordly stuff. Before, Joyce was famous for just throwing really, really hard. Now, he's figured out sequencing, scouting the opposition, and acclimating to the day-in, day-out of a Major League season. He added a splinker, gotten better shapes on his 4-seam fastball, can play with his slider shapes, and knows he has the 9th inning of games now that Carlos Estévez is in Philadelphia. Entering last night's game, Joyce posted a 0.85 ERA in his last 27 games.

Now, there are players who are having solid seasons and are fun in their own right. Zach Neto is a 20-20 guy, Nolan Schanuel gets on base every game, Logan O'Hoppe can uncork deep HRs...but their fun level pales in comparison to Ben Joyce. Keep slinging it, Ben. We'll be watching games for you, and really only for you.