Ex-Angels Infielder Slams Team Policy for Contributing to Injuries

A former Angels infielder spoke out Wednesday about the team's uniquely late home start times, which have drawn ire among players past and present.

Last Thursday, the Angels' home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates started at 6:29 p.m. — the latest start time allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the Players' Association.

Though technically not a "night game" — those begin at 6:30 or later — it wasn't optimal for a team that had to play the following day in Minnesota.

“It’s not ideal for sure,” Angels star Mike Trout told reporters, including Sam Blum of The Athletic. “I don’t know when we’re supposed to land, but it’s going to be early. And we’ve got to play that night. And the worst part about it is, the next day is a day game.”

After landing early in the morning Friday in Minneapolis, the Angels lost 11-4, 5-1, and 5-0 in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Twins.

Coincidence? A.J. Pierzynski doesn't think so.

A veteran of 19 major league seasons, Pierzynski said Tuesday on Foul Territory that the Angels' late start times on getaway days are only hurting their own players.

"Anaheim's one of the teams that does this a lot," Pierzynski said. "It sucks. What I don't understand is, it hurts your home team. If the Angels were staying at home (Friday), it just sucks for the (Pirates). But to do this to your own team to sell five thousand more seats maybe — then have them go out and get swept — I'm glad Mike Trout said something because he's the only person that seems like anyone out there listens to."

"This is a very minor league thing to do," added Foul Territory co-host Erik Kratz, an 11-year MLB veteran. "That is a brutal call by the Angels. To have a getaway night game when you don't even have an off day the next day. Baseball players aren't soft for that, that's real, and the ownership or whoever made this decision set their team up for not having success this weekend."

Neither Kratz nor Pierzynski played for the Angels. Zack Cozart did, however, and his comments on Twitter/X Wednesday in response to the commentary on Foul Territory added some perspective to the situation.

This is a fact… Angels have the worst travel… we played a night game on a Thursday in Anaheim and played in Tampa the next day… not only is the team exhausted but I know this is a big reason why they have so many injuries https://t.co/oKSDECU55c
— Zack Cozart (@zack_cozart) April 30, 2025

"This is a fact… Angels have the worst travel… we played a night game on a Thursday in Anaheim and played in Tampa the next day… not only is the team exhausted but I know this is a big reason why they have so many injuries," Cozart wrote.

Cozart, 39, played 96 games with the Angels from 2018-19 to cap an MLB career that began in 2011 with the Cincinnati Reds.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.