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Much like Lee Smith mentored Troy Percival decades ago, the Angels hope Kenley Jansen can teach hard-throwing reliever Ben Joyce a thing or two.

TEMPE, Ariz. — Troy Percival, then a rookie setup man with 26 big-league appearances under his belt, watched from the visiting dugout in the Oakland Coliseum as Lee Smith, then the Angels’ 37-year-old closer, gave up a walk-off grand slam to Mark McGwire in an 8-5 loss to the Athletics on June 30, 1995.

As Percival headed toward the clubhouse that night, the impressionable 26-year-old known for his feisty mound demeanor and occasional temper tantrums in the minor leagues began to envision the havoc Smith would wreak on the locker room.

“He came in, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh God, here we go,’ ” Percival, now 56, said in a phone interview.

Percival replaced Smith as closer in 1996 and recorded 316 of his 358 career saves in 10 seasons with the Angels, nailing down the final three outs of a World Series-clinching Game 7 win over the San Francisco Giants in 2002, and Percival credits the “immeasurable” lessons he learned from Smith as a factor in his success.