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 (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 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. Throughout their first four decades of existence the Angels were a middling franchise, but did win three division titles during that span. Notable stars to have played for the Angels during that time include Hall of Fame players Nolan Ryan (1972-1979), who threw four of his seven no-hitters with Anaheim, Rod Carew (1979-1985), who collected his 3,000th hit with the team, and Reggie Jackson (1982-1986), who hit his 500th career home run with the team. The 1982 and 1986 team each came within one game of reaching the World Series, but the team did not experience sustained success. Under manager Mike Scioscia and players such as Garret Anderson, they would eventually achieve their first Wild Card spot in 2002 for their first playoff appearance in sixteen years. Under the efforts of players Troy Glaus (named World Series MVP), they used this momentum to win their first pennant to reach and then win the 2002 World Series, their only championship appearance to date. They, along with the Washington Nationals, are the two MLB franchises to win their sole appearance in the World Series. Over the next seven years under Scioscia's management, the Angels would then win five division titles, spearheaded by their lone Hall of Fame representative Vladimir Guerrero. They also saw an increase in fan attendance, consistently placing the franchise among the top draws in MLB. This notoriety has grown into international attention since 2012 with the signing of Albert Pujols and the emergence of superstars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, who cumulatively won five AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards with the team. Despite this, they have not appeared in the postseason since 2014, the longest active playoff drought of any MLB team. Their ten consecutive losing seasons from 2016 to 2025 is a franchise record of futility. Through 2025, the Angels have a win–loss record of 5,093–5,205–3 (.495). They were the first expansion team to reach 5,000 total wins, doing so in 2024. As of 2025, they are one of only three MLB teams, and the only one in the American League, that have been undefeated in the World Series.