Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Buy Los Angeles Angels Tickets & Support the Charro Foundation
Baseball historians looking for the first time the name Los Angeles Angels was used need to look all the way back to 1892. That team joined the Pacific Coast League in 1903, a league which is now part of the Minor Leagues. The official MLB Angels joined the league in 1961 as an expansion franchise. The franchise was originally founded by entertainer Gene Autry who owned the team for the first 36 years of the franchise.
“The Halos” as the team is commonly referred to was named the Los Angeles Angels from 1961-1965. The name of the team changed to the California Angels that year until 1996. The Los Angeles Angels were extremely competitive as an expansion team which was indeed a rarity in the league. During the early years of the franchise its biggest challenge was actually trying to find a permanent home. During the 1961 season the Angels played at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, then from 1962-1965 the Halos played in the same stadium as the Los Angeles Dodgers, calling it Chavez Ravine for their home games.
Owner Gene Autry was having difficulty landing a deal to get the Angels its own stadium in Los Angeles, and did not want to move the team to Long beach because the city wanted to rename the team the Long Beach Angels. Autry was finally able to secure a deal in Anaheim and the franchise moved into its new home in 1965. The team was renamed the California Angels once the move occurred.
The California Angels would not experience the postseason until 1979 led by American League MVP Don Baylor, the first designated hitter to win the award. The Angels lost to the Baltimore Orioles that year but things looked bright for the franchise with a solid team now in place. The Angels won two more AL West titles in 1982 and 1986 but lost on both of those occasions as well. The 1986 ALCS loss was particularly hard on the team because the California Angels had the Boston Red Sox down to two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth inning leading 5-2. The Boston Red Sox hit two home runs that inning to send the game into extra innings, which the team won 7-6 in the 11th inning. Stunned, the Angels lost the next two games to lose the series.
The team changed its name once again to the Anaheim Angels in 1997. The franchise had not been to the playoffs since the stunning ALCS loss in 1986 but qualified for the playoffs as the AL wild card entry in 2002. This time the baseball gods smiled on the franchise as the Angels not only captured an American League pennant that year but defeated the San Francisco Giants in seven games in what still ranks as the highest scoring World Series of all-time.
Since 2005 the team has been named the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and still play in the same home they have had since 1966, now named Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Fans can purchase Angels tickets from this website and contribute to the Charro Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization which works to strengthen the quality of education in the community at the same time. Enjoy America’s Pastime and support a great charity in the process by purchasing your Angels tickets on this website today!
