Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, within the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League West Division. Since 1966, the team has played its home games at Angel Stadium.

The franchise was founded in Los Angeles in 1961 by Gene Autry as one of MLB's first two expansion teams. It was originally based in Los Angeles but moved to Anaheim in 1966. Because of this move, the team's name changed several times over the years. It was known as the California Angels from 1965 to 1996, the Anaheim Angels from 1997 to 2004, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2005 to 2015. The current name, Los Angeles Angels, has been used since 2016.

The Angels have had many famous players over the years, including Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, and Reggie Jackson. The team's biggest success came in 2002 when they won the 2002 World Series, their only championship so far. In recent years, stars like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani have helped bring international attention to the team. Despite this, the Angels have not made the postseason since 2014, which is the longest active playoff drought in MLB.

History

Main article: History of the Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels began as a team in Los Angeles in 1892. The name "Angels" comes from the city's name in Spanish, "Los Angeles," which means "The Angels." The current team was created in 1961 when entertainer Gene Autry bought the name and started the team in Major League Baseball. At first, they played in a stadium called Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.

The team has had several name changes over the years. In 1965, they changed their name to the California Angels before moving to a new stadium in Anaheim in 1966. Later, in 1997, The Walt Disney Company bought the team and renamed the stadium Edison International Field of Anaheim. The team became the Anaheim Angels. In 2005, the owner added "Los Angeles" to the team's name again, calling them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, though many people just call them the Angels.

Culture

The Los Angeles Angels have a special saying, "Win One for the Cowboy," that fans love. This saying honors the team's founder, Gene Autry, who never saw the Angels win a World Series during his time as owner. The team finally won their first World Series in 2002, four years after Autry passed away. After the win, player Tim Salmon brought out one of Autry's famous white Stetson hats to celebrate.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim, also called "The Big A," has a special area in center field called the "California Spectacular." It looks like a desert mountain with a running waterfall and shoots fireworks before games and when the Angels hit a home run or win. Each game starts with the song "Calling All Angels" by Train. Since 2024, the Angels' home run song has been "Dance With Me" by Blink-182.

After a home win, fans say "Light That Baby Up!" referring to the tall letter "A" at the stadium that lights up. Other popular phrases after a win include "Just another Halo victory!" and "And the Halo shines tonight!"

The Angels were the first team in North America to use thundersticks to make noise during games.

The Rally Monkey

The Rally Monkey is a fun mascot for the Angels. It appears on the scoreboard when the Angels are losing or the game is tied in the later innings. The Rally Monkey jumps up and down to the song "Jump Around" and holds a sign that says "RALLY TIME!"

The Rally Monkey became popular in 2000 when a clip from the movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was shown, and the Angels came back to win. The monkey, named Katie, became a star in videos for the team. The Rally Monkey got even more attention during the 2002 World Series when the Angels came back from behind to win the championship.

Popularity

The Los Angeles Angels have been very popular, drawing over 3 million fans each year to their stadium from 2003 to 2019. Since 2002, they have had at least 2 million fans each year. In 2019 alone, over 3 million fans watched their games, making them fifth in attendance in all of Major League Baseball, just behind the New York Yankees.

Fans of the Angels have set several Guinness World Records, like the largest group of people wearing blankets, wrestling masks, cowboy hats, wigs, Santa hats, superhero capes, and sombreros. They also hold the record for the biggest gathering of people using selfie sticks. In 2009, they were voted the top franchise in professional sports for fan value by ESPN magazine. In 2012, they were ranked fifteenth among the best sports franchises overall and third best among MLB teams.

Logos, uniforms and colors

The Los Angeles Angels have had ten different logos and three different color combinations. Their first logos showed a baseball with wings and a halo. The original colors were mostly blue with red trim, and these colors were used from 1961 to 1996.

In 1965, the team changed its name from the "Los Angeles Angels" to the "California Angels" because they were moving to Anaheim in 1966. During this time, the team kept the blue and red colors but changed their logo several times. The original home uniforms had the team name and numbers in red with blue trim, while the away uniforms had the city name and numbers in blue with red trim.

Rivalries

The Los Angeles Angels have developed rivalries with other teams in their division, including the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and the Houston Astros. They also see the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox as rivals because they played against them several times in important games during the 2000s. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a special rival because both teams are from the same area, Greater Los Angeles[/w/7].

Athletics

Main article: Angels–Athletics rivalry

The Angels and Athletics have been rivals since the Athletics moved to the same division in 1968 and 1969. They have often competed closely for the top spot in their division. The rivalry was especially strong in the early 2000s when both teams were very good. In 2002, the Athletics had a record 20-game winning streak and finished ahead of the Angels, but the Angels made the playoffs and went on to win the World Series, their first and only championship.

Seattle Mariners

The Angels and Mariners have often battled for the division lead or a chance to play in the playoffs. In 1995, the Angels led for much of the season but the Mariners caught up and tied them at the end, needing a special game to decide the winner. Both teams also met in important games in the early 2000s, with the Mariners winning 116 games in 2001 and the Angels winning the World Series in 2002. Recently, players like Julio Rodríguez and Ty France for the Mariners, and Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout for the Angels have made these matchups exciting.

Texas Rangers

Main article: Angels–Rangers rivalry

The Angels and Rangers have competed for division titles and have had some tense moments. Players have moved between the teams, causing some friction. In 2012, a joke on social media caused some anger between former teammates. Both teams have even thrown perfect games against each other, something only these two teams have done in baseball history.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Main article: Freeway Series

The rivalry with the Dodgers is called the Freeway Series because the teams are connected by freeways. From 1962 to 1965, the Angels even played at Dodger Stadium. When regular-season games between teams from different leagues started in 1997, the Angels and Dodgers began playing each other. There have been some intense moments, like a big argument on the field in 1999. In 2023, Angels star Shohei Ohtani joined the Dodgers, signing one of the biggest contracts in sports history.

Radio and television

Main article: List of Los Angeles Angels broadcasters

The main radio station for the Los Angeles Angels is KLAA 830 AM in Orange, California. Terry Smith has been the main announcer since 2002, and Mark Langston has provided special insights since 2012. The team also has Spanish broadcasts on KWKW (1330 AM) with José Tolentino as the announcer.

Games are shown on a cable channel called Angels Broadcast Television (ABTV), which used to be called FanDuel Sports Network West. Wayne Randazzo is the main announcer since 2023, and Mark Gubicza helps with special insights since 2007. Sometimes, Matt Vasgersian and Patrick O'Neal will announce games when Randazzo is busy with other broadcasts.

Awards and honors

See also: Los Angeles Angels award winners and league leaders

Retired numbers

• No. 26 was retired for Gene Autry to show he was the team's "26th Man" because teams could only have 25 players at the time, except in September.
• No. 42 was retired across all of Major League Baseball in 1997 to honor Jackie Robinson.

Out of circulation, but not retired

• No. 1 has not been used since Bengie Molina left the team.
• No. 34 was not used after Nick Adenhart passed away in 2009, until Noah Syndergaard started wearing it in 2022.
• No. 45 has not been used since Tyler Skaggs passed away in 2019.

Angels Hall of Fame

The Angels started a team Hall of Fame in 1988. They have added fifteen people to it — fourteen players and one team leader — along with members of the 2002 team.

Team captains

• Jerry Remy, 1977
• Don Baylor, 1978–1982

Baseball Hall of Fame

Some very famous players have played for the Angels, and the Hall of Fame lists the Angels as the main team of Nolan Ryan. The Angels also have one member in the Hall of Fame who wears an Angels logo on his cap, Vladimir Guerrero, who was added in 2018.

Ford C. Frick Award recipients

Roster

The Los Angeles Angels are a baseball team based in Anaheim, California. They play in Major League Baseball and have been at Angel Stadium since 1966. The team is part of the American League West Division.

Minor league affiliations

Main article: List of Los Angeles Angels minor league affiliates

The Los Angeles Angels have six teams that help develop players before they join the main team. These teams are called minor league affiliates.

In popular culture

The Los Angeles Angels have appeared in many fun shows and movies. In a 1985 episode of The Jeffersons, the team was featured when George Jefferson dropped a ball hit by Reggie Jackson.

They also appeared in the 1988 comedy The Naked Gun, where police officer Frank Drebin secretly umpired a game. In the 1994 Disney film Angels In The Outfield, a boy named Roger asks for help so his favorite team can win, and an angel helps them succeed. The team was also shown in a 2014 episode of The Big Bang Theory.