Profile
| Affliantions | American League West Division |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Halos |
| Ballpark | Angel Stadium |
| World Series Title | 1 (2002) |
Introduction
The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team has played its home games at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
The franchise was founded in Los Angeles in 1961 by Gene Autry as one of MLB's first two expansion teams and the first to originate in California. Deriving its name from an earlier Los Angeles Angels franchise that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL), the team was based in Los Angeles until moving to Anaheim in 1966. Due to the move, the franchise was known as the California Angels from 1965 to 1996 and the Anaheim Angels from 1997 to 2004. "Los Angeles" was added back to the name in 2005, but because of a lease agreement with Anaheim that required the city to also be in the name, the franchise was known as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim until 2015. The current Los Angeles Angels name came into use the following season.
The Angels won the World Series in 2002, their first and only championship appearance to date. They are one of three MLB franchises to win their sole appearance in the World Series. This was followed by an era in which the Angels made six playoff berths within a decade and saw an increase in fan attendance, consistently placing the franchise among the top draws in MLB. The Angels have accumulated national attention since 2012 with the emergence of three-time AL Most Valuable Player Mike Trout and an international following since 2018 with the signing of Japanese two-way player Shohei Ohtani.
Rivalry
With Oakland Athletics
The Angels have held a steady rivalry with the Oakland Athletics since their relocation to California and to the AL West in 1969. Though not as intense as the Dodgers-Giants rivalry equivalent in the National league; the A's and Angels have often been competitive in their own battle for the division through the decades.
With Seattle Mariners
The Angels have maintained a steady rivalry with the Seattle Mariners as both teams have often fought for control of the division or a playoff berth. During 1995, the Angels held a season-high 13-game division lead over the Mariners on August 2, but by September 26, Seattle had taken over the division lead by three games with only five games remaining in the season.
With Los Angeles Dodgers (Freeway Series)
rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been referred to as the Freeway Series because of the freeway system (mostly via Interstate 5) linking the two teams' home fields. The Freeway Series is one of four MLB rivalries between two teams in the same metropolitan area.
From 1962 to 1965, the Angels played their home games at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley granted approval for an American League franchise in Los Angeles under the condition that they play at Dodger Stadium. As a result, Angels owner Gene Autry signed a three-year deal to rent the stadium with a subsequent four option years. On May 5, 1962, Angels pitcher Bo Belinsky pitched the first no-hitter in Dodger Stadium history in a game against the Baltimore Orioles.
With the introduction of interleague play in the 1997 season, the Angels and Dodgers played each other in the regular season for the first time with a two-game series beginning on June 17 at Dodger Stadium. A bench-clearing brawl occurred during a June 1999 series between the two teams when Angels pitcher Tim Belcher tagged out Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park after his at-bat, leading to an exchange of words that was followed by Park punching and kicking Belcher. Park was ejected from the game and subsequently suspended for seven games.
See Also
Los Angeles Dodgers: A Franchise from same city but playing at different league
