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.

History

Main article: History of the Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels started in Los Angeles in 1892. The name "Angels" comes from the city's Spanish name, "Los Angeles," meaning "The Angels." The current team began 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 changed its name a few times. In 1965, they became 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. The team 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 late in the game. 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 Rally Monkey got even more attention during the 2002 World Series when the Angels came back 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.

Fans of the Angels have set several Guinness World Records, like the largest group of people wearing blankets and hats. 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 rivals 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 important games against them in 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 1968. They often compete for the top spot in their division. In 2002, the Angels won the World Series, their first and only championship.

Seattle Mariners

The Angels and Mariners often fight for the division lead. In 1995, they tied at the end of the season and had a special game to decide the winner. In 2001, the Mariners won 116 games, and in 2002, the Angels won the World Series. Players like Julio Rodríguez and Ty France for the Mariners, and Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout for the Angels make these games exciting.

Texas Rangers

Main article: Angels–Rangers rivalry

The Angels and Rangers compete for division titles and have had some tense moments. Players have moved between the teams. Both teams have thrown perfect games against each other, a rare feat 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 played at Dodger Stadium. When teams from different leagues started playing each other in 1997, the Angels and Dodgers began playing. In 2023, Angels star Shohei Ohtani joined the Dodgers.

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 helped with 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 because he was special to the team.
• 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. 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 from Anaheim, California. They play in Major League Baseball and have played 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 train players. These teams are called minor league affiliates.

In popular culture

The Los Angeles Angels have been 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. The team was also shown in a 2014 episode of The Big Bang Theory.