The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim based in Anaheim, California, are one of four Major League Baseball teams that play in the Western Division of the American League.  

History of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim began their playing career on April 11, 1961 against the major league castoffs of Baltimore Orioles at the Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. And by the end of their debut season, the 1961 season, they scored a record 70 wins. And their winning spree continued into the next year, when the Angels shocked everyone by winning 86 games and finishing 3rd. However during that time they were called the Los Angeles Angels. And after that from 1965 to 1996, the team was known as the California Angels. It was only after 1996 that they were renamed the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. 

After finishing 3rd in the 1962 season, the angels went into a slump. Year 1963 onwards, the Angels seemed to have lost their winning streak. They disappointed their fans by finishing not higher than 5th for the next few seasons. However they did have outstanding individual performances, like when in 1973 Ryan set a major league record with 383 strikeouts, pitching two no-hitters in the process. But despite the individual achievements of players like Chance, Johnson and Ryan, Los Angeles Angels were called the ‘Tumbling Tumbleweeds’ until 1979 when they won the Division Championships for the first time in their career as a team. They repeated this feat twice in the 1980s.
But after this brief period they were a no show. In fact, though they had comfortable August leads in the only two seasons in which they contended, 1989 and 1995, they were unsuccessful in using it to their advantage. But their all time low was 1996 when the Angels returned to their losing ways and finished last with an awful 70-91 record.  

However, the year 1997 brought about a change in their fortunes. Gene Autry, around 90-years old, who had owned the Angels from the beginning, sold part of the team to Disney. Disney gave the Angels a new look, and re-named them the Anaheim Angels. In fact in the year 2002, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim managed to win the World Series Championship for the first time. They also become the Division champion in 2004. 

Some of the Hall of Famers of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson, Nolan Ryan, and Dave Winfield. Among the most outstanding players for whom the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have retired numbers are #11 worn by Jim Fregosi, 26 belonging to Gene Autry Owner, #29 worn by Rod Carew, 34 belonging to Nolan Ryan and 50 belonging to Jimmie Reese. 

Stadium History of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels played their first season at Wrigley Field, located in the suburbs of Los Angeles, in 1961. After that the Angels opted to rent Dodger Stadium from 1962-1965. In 1965, they felt the need for their own stadium. And as a result, the Anaheim Stadium (1966-67), now  known as Angel Stadium of Anaheim, was built. At that time, the three-tier stadium had around 44,000 seats. The stadium was renovated again, in 1979 and 1997. In 1997, when Disney became partial owners of the team, it contributed a considerable amount to the renovation of the Angels old ballpark. The renovated stadium opened on April 1, 1998, but was renamed as Edison International Field till 2003. After 2003, it was again renamed to its old name that is Angel Stadium of Anaheim.