- 1961
- 2005
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Los Angeles Angels Team Formation
The Angels and their fellow expansionists, the new Washington Senators now the Texas Rangers chose players from other American League teams in an expansion draft. In 1961, the first year of the team’s existence, the Angels finished 70–91 for a .435 winning percentage, still the highest winning percentage ever for a first-year major league expansion team. -
The Team Renamed: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
On January 3, 2005 Angels Baseball, L.P. announced that it would change the name of the club from Anaheim Angels to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The new name sparked outrage among Anaheim and Los Angeles city leaders, who argued that a team that does not play its home games within the city or county of Los Angeles should not ...
History of the Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. 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.
The franchise was founded in Los Angeles in 1961 by Gene Autry as one of the MLB's first two expansion teams and the first to originate in California. Deriving its name from an earlier 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. However, the team often ignores the city name and simply refers to themselves as the "Angels."
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.
Established
1961
City
Los Angeles - Anaheim - Los Angeles (Anaheim)
League History
2000 – Present / Major League Baseball
1961 – 1999 / American League
Team History
2005 – Present / Los Angeles Angels
1997 – 2004 / Anaheim Angels
1965 – 1996 / California Angels
1961 – 1964 / Los Angeles Angels
Nickname
Angels – The “Los Angeles Angels” name originates from the first Los Angeles based sports team, the Los Angeles Angels, who took the name “Angels” from the English translation of “Los Angeles,” which means “The Angels” in Spanish.
Championship
World Series 0
2002
Stadium
2004 – Present / Angel Stadium of Anaheim
1998 – 2003 / Edison International Field
1965 – 1997 / Anaheim Stadium
*Los Angeles*
1962 – 1964 / Chavez Ravine
1961 / Wrigley Field
Owner
2003 – Present / Arturo Moreno
1996 – 2003 / The Walt Disney Company
1961 – 1996 / Gene Autry
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
11 / Jim Fregosi
26 / Gene Autry
29 / Rod Carew
30 / Nolan Ryan
42 / Jackie Robinson
50 / Jimmy Reese
*Blue is this team’s history