60 Fun Facts About Los Angeles Angels

Which entertainer founded the Angels in 1961 and owned them for 36 years?

The Singing Cowboy recorded 'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer' and is the only person with stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Angels' founder bought the rights to the team name from which Dodgers owner for $350,000?

The name came from the old Pacific Coast League Angels, whom the Cubs' Wrigley had owned before selling to the Dodgers.

In their first season, 1961, the Angels played home games at which Los Angeles ballpark?

It shared its name with the Chicago park because both were built by the Wrigley chewing-gum family for their teams.

From 1962 to 1965 the Angels rented Dodger Stadium, but insisted on referring to it as what?

O'Malley had only approved an AL team in Los Angeles on condition that it play in his stadium.

The Angels changed their name from Los Angeles Angels to California Angels on September 2 of which year?

The switch came with a month left in the season, in anticipation of the new Anaheim stadium opening the following spring.

Who took control of the Angels in 1997 and renamed them the Anaheim Angels?

It already owned the NHL's Mighty Ducks and planned a rival cable channel called ESPN West that never launched.

Which owner added 'Los Angeles' back to the team's name in 2005?

The stadium lease required Anaheim in the name too, producing the unwieldy 'Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim'; the city sued and lost.

Along with the Angels, which team was created in the 1961 American League expansion?

That second Senators franchise later became the Texas Rangers, now an Angels division rival.

Nolan Ryan came to the Angels in a December 1971 trade that sent which shortstop to the Mets?

The Mets got little from him and sold him to Texas in 1973; he later managed Ryan in Anaheim.

How many of Nolan Ryan's record seven no-hitters did he throw as an Angel?

The Hall of Fame lists the Angels as his primary team even though he pitched for four clubs over 27 seasons.

Which Hall of Famer collected his 3,000th hit as an Angel?

He played in Anaheim from 1979 to 1985 after seven batting titles in Minnesota.

Which slugger hit his 500th career home run as an Angel?

He played five seasons in California and later played himself as an umpire-assassin in 'The Naked Gun'.

The Angels came within one game of the World Series in 1986 and which earlier year?

Both times they lost the ALCS after leading, feeding the 'Win One for the Cowboy' mantra.

Which manager led the Angels to their 2002 World Series title?

He then won five division titles in the next seven years, the club's best run ever.

The Angels beat which team in the 2002 World Series?

The Angels and Nationals are the only franchises to have won their sole World Series appearance.

Who was named MVP of the 2002 World Series?

His two-run double in Game 6 capped the comeback from 5-0 down; Anderson's three-run double won Game 7.

In Game 6 of the 2002 World Series the Angels trailed by how many runs entering the seventh inning?

Scott Spiezio's three-run homer started the rally, and the Giants never recovered.

The only Angels All-Star in 2002 was which outfielder, named as a reserve?

He also delivered the three-run double that decided Game 7 of the World Series.

The Rally Monkey was born in 2000 when the scoreboard showed a clip from which film?

The team then hired Katie, a capuchin who had played Marcel on 'Friends', for original clips.

The Rally Monkey jumps up and down to which House of Pain song?

She holds a sign reading 'RALLY TIME!' whenever the Angels trail from the seventh inning on.

What did Tim Salmon bring out of the dugout after the 2002 World Series win to honour the late founder?

Autry had died four years earlier without seeing his team win a pennant.

Why did the Angels retire No. 26 for their founding owner?

Active rosters held 25 players at the time, so the owner became the extra man.

Angel Stadium's nickname 'the Big A' refers to a 230-foot letter A topped by what?

It once served as the scoreboard support in left field and now stands in the parking lot; the halo lights after wins.

Which broadcaster's phrase 'Light that baby up!' refers to the halo on the Big A sign?

An earlier broadcaster's version was 'And the halo shines tonight!'

The rock formation with a waterfall and fireworks in center field at Angel Stadium is called what?

The artificial mountain launches fireworks before every game and after every Angels homer and home win.

Which NFL team shared Anaheim Stadium with the Angels from 1980 to 1994?

Enclosing the stadium for football is what pushed the Big A sign out to the parking lot.

Which song by Train opens every home game at the Big A?

It plays over a video of historic team moments before first pitch.

The Angels were the first North American team to use which noisemaker, later a playoff staple?

The inflatable bangers became inescapable during the 2002 postseason.

Which pitcher threw a perfect game for the Angels against Texas in 1984?

Kenny Rogers returned the favour for the Rangers in 1994, making them the only pair of teams to trade perfect games.

Which Angels pitcher threw the first no-hitter in Dodger Stadium history, in May 1962?

The playboy left-hander was a bigger Hollywood story than pitcher, and it came against Baltimore.

The Angels-Dodgers interleague rivalry is known as what?

Interstate 5 links the two ballparks; the clubs first met in the regular season in June 1997.

The only Hall of Famer inducted wearing an Angels cap is which outfielder?

He was inducted in 2018 after anchoring the five division winners of 2004-2009.

Mike Trout won the AL MVP in 2014, 2016 and which other year?

He also finished second four times, and won the 2012 Rookie of the Year award unanimously.

Mike Trout grew up in which small New Jersey town?

He was born in nearby Vineland and lettered in both baseball and basketball at Millville Senior High.

Shohei Ohtani came to the Angels from which Japanese club after the 2017 season?

He had been the Fighters' first pick in the 2012 NPB draft and won AL Rookie of the Year in 2018.

In his first MVP season, 2021, Shohei Ohtani hit how many home runs while also striking out 156 batters?

The two-way season earned him the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.

Ohtani's second unanimous MVP in 2023 came with 44 home runs and how many pitching wins?

He then left for the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700 million deal, briefly the largest contract in sports history.

How many AL MVP awards had Trout and Ohtani combined to win as Angels by the end of 2023?

Yet the club went more than a decade without a playoff appearance after 2014.

Through the 2025 season, the Angels' most recent postseason appearance came in which year?

They were swept by Kansas City in the ALDS despite the AL's best record.

The Angels' 2022 City Connect uniform, in sand and red, drew on which part of SoCal culture?

The script 'Angels' wordmark carries an underline trailing off the final letter.

Under Disney the Angels briefly wore uniforms in dark blue and which unusual second colour?

The cartoonish 'winged A' logo lasted from 1997 to 2001 before the club went red.

The Angels set a franchise record in 2023 by scoring how many runs in one game against Colorado?

Thirteen of them came in the third inning alone.

The Angels became the first expansion team to reach how many total wins, in 2024?

Not bad for a club that spent its first four decades as a self-described middling franchise.

The 1994 Disney film 'Angels in the Outfield' starred which actor as the angel Al?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt played the foster kid whose prayers summon help for the worst team in baseball.

In The Naked Gun (1988), Frank Drebin poses as an umpire at an Angels game against which team?

A former Angels slugger plays himself as a hypnotised would-be assassin.

The Angels' flagship radio station, KLAA 830 AM, is unusual in that it is owned by whom?

Terry Smith has called games there since 2002 with Mark Langston on colour.

Which broadcaster called Angels games on KTLA from 1969 to 1978, winning the 2015 Frick Award?

His sign-off after wins was 'And the halo shines tonight'.

Which number has been out of circulation since pitcher Tyler Skaggs died in 2019?

No. 34 was similarly shelved after Nick Adenhart's death in 2009 until Noah Syndergaard wore it in 2022.

An FBI probe involving which official sank Anaheim's 2019 deal to sell Angel Stadium?

Mayor Harry Sidhu resigned in May 2022 amid allegations tied to a $1 million campaign contribution.

The Angels moved into their Anaheim ballpark in which year?

Ground had been broken in August 1964, and the club had spent four seasons as tenants at Dodger Stadium.

Which Angels first baseman/DH served as team captain from 1978 to 1982?

He won the 1979 AL MVP as the Angels reached their first postseason.

Disney bought the Angels in 1997 partly to launch a rival cable channel that would have been called what?

The plan fell through in 1998; Disney already owned the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

After Disney's renovation, Anaheim Stadium was renamed for which utility company?

The city put $30 million toward the $118 million overhaul on condition that 'Anaheim' stay in the stadium and team names.

How much did Anaheim vote in December 2019 to sell Angel Stadium and its land to Arte Moreno's group for?

The deal was later cancelled amid FBI bribery allegations involving mayor Harry Sidhu.

Which Herald Examiner writer coined the nickname 'the Big A' for the Angels' stadium in 1965?

The giant A was moved to the parking lot in 1980 when the stadium was enclosed for the NFL's Rams.

Which late Angels broadcaster popularised the phrase 'Just another Halo victory!'?

Before him, Dick Enberg used 'And the Halo shines tonight!'.

How many division titles did the Angels win in their first four decades of existence?

Under Mike Scioscia they then won five division titles in seven years.

Which former pitcher joined Angels television broadcasts as colour commentator in 2007?

Wayne Randazzo joined him on play-by-play in 2023; Mark Langston works the radio side.

Who called Angels games in Spanish on KWKW 1330 AM during the 2024 season?

The English flagship is team-owned KLAA 830 AM.

Which pitcher's number 34 was out of circulation from his 2009 death until Noah Syndergaard wore it in 2022?

Number 45 has similarly been unworn since Tyler Skaggs died in 2019.