List of Los Angeles Angels seasons

View of a baseball stadium, taken from the upper deck and looking out over the field from center field.
Angel Stadium, home field of the Angels since the 1966 season.

This is a list of seasons completed by the Los Angeles Angels, also known as the California Angels from 1965 to 1996, the Anaheim Angels from 1997 to 2004, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2005 to 2015. They are a professional baseball franchise based in Anaheim, California. They play in the Western Division of Major League Baseball's (MLB) American League.

Established in 1961, the Angels played their first four seasons in the city of Los Angeles, California under two stadiums: Wrigley Field, the venue used for the Pacific Coast League team that the Angels named themselves after, and Dodger Stadium, which the Angels referred to as "Chavez Ravine". They moved to the city of Anaheim in 1966 while changing the name of the team to refer to the entire state of California while playing in Anaheim Stadium, where they play today (which is now called Angel Stadium). The Angels were created in 1960 as part of a boom in baseball coming to the state of California. They were the third California MLB team to play in the state but the first non-relocated team to play there. Gene Autry was the first owner of the franchise, having bought the rights in 1960. The inaugural season for the team resulted in seventy wins to 91 losses, which stands as the best winning percentage for an expansion MLB team. They would contend in parts of the 1960s, finishing 3rd twice in the decade but never finishing closer than ten games out of a pennant. The 1970s brought a number of miserable seasons, which included seven straight losing seasons from 1971 to 1977. However, the Angels had a few shining spots in that era, which included Nolan Ryan (who threw four no-hitters with the team). In 1979, the Angels won the AL West and reached the postseason for the first time ever. They lost to the Baltimore Orioles in four games, while Ryan departed Anaheim in free agency in the winter. The Angels won the AL West twice in the next decade but fell short of the World Series by one game each time.

In 1997, The Walt Disney Company bought ownership in the team. As such, the team name was changed to reflect the actual city the team played in while renovations were done for the stadium, which took corporate branding that referred to it as "Edison International Field of Anaheim", which stayed that way until 2003. Losing a one-game tiebreaker for the AL West in 1995 was the closest the Angels were to reaching the postseason in the 1990s. However, the Angels steadily grew talent in the next few years that soon made them a relative contender, done under manager Mike Scioscia. In 2002, the Angels went from losing 87 games to winning 99 to set a franchise record for wins at the time while making the postseason for the first time in sixteen years. They would roll to a World Series victory during the postseason, which included winning the final two games while facing elimination. Arte Moreno bought the team from Disney after the season ended. In the next twelve seasons, the Angels would reach the postseason six times. Despite seeing two players awarded the American League's Most Valuable Player award four times (2016, 2019, 2021, 2023) over the next couple of years, the Angels (all under Moreno's leadership as owner) have failed to reach the postseason since 2014 and have had nine straight losing seasons from 2016 to 2024, the worst stretch of losing seasons in franchise history.

The Angels in total have completed 63 seasons in Major League Baseball, qualifying for the postseason ten times with one World Series championship (2002). The Angels are the only team in all of MLB to have never lost 100 games in a season.[1]

Table key

[edit]
ALCS
American League Championship Series
ALDS
American League Division Series
CYA
Cy Young Award
Finish
Final position in league or division
GB
"Games Back" from first-place team[a]
Losses
Number of regular season losses
MOY
Manager of the Year
MVP
Most Valuable Player
ROY
American League Rookie of the Year
Season
Each year is linked to an article about that particular MLB season
Team
Each year is linked to an article about that particular Angels season
Wins
Number of regular season wins

Year by year

[edit]
World Series champions † AL champions * Division champions (1969–present) ^ Wild card berth (1995–present) ¤
Season Team Level League Division Finish Wins Losses Win% GB[c] Postseason Awards
Los Angeles Angels
1961 1961 MLB AL 8th 70 91 .435 38½
1962 1962 MLB AL 3rd 86 76 .531 10
1963 1963 MLB AL 9th 70 91 .435 34
1964 1964 MLB AL 5th 82 80 .506 17 Dean Chance (CYA)[2]
California Angels
1965 1965 MLB AL 7th 75 87 .463 27
1966 1966 MLB AL 6th 80 82 .494 18
1967 1967 MLB AL 5th 84 77 .522
1968 1968 MLB AL 8th 67 95 .414 36
1969 1969 MLB AL West[d] 3rd 71 91 .438 26
1970 1970 MLB AL West 3rd 86 76 .531 12
1971 1971 MLB AL West 4th 76 86 .469 25½
1972[e] 1972 MLB AL West 5th 75 80 .484 18
1973 1973 MLB AL West 4th 79 83 .488 15
1974 1974 MLB AL West 6th 68 94 .420 22
1975 1975 MLB AL West 6th 72 89 .447 25½
1976 1976 MLB AL West 4th 76 86 .469 14
1977 1977 MLB AL West 5th 74 88 .457 28
1978 1978 MLB AL West 2nd 87 75 .537 5
1979 1979 MLB AL West ^ 1st 88 74 .543 Lost ALCS (Orioles) 3–1[3] Don Baylor (MVP)[4]
1980 1980 MLB AL West 6th 65 95 .406 31
1981[f] 1981 MLB AL West 4th 31 29 .517
7th 20 30 .400
1982 1982 MLB AL West ^ 1st 93 69 .574 Lost ALCS (Brewers) 3–2[5]
1983 1983 MLB AL West 5th 70 92 .432 29
1984 1984 MLB AL West 2nd 81 81 .500 3
1985 1985 MLB AL West 2nd 90 72 .556 1
1986 1986 MLB AL West ^ 1st 92 70 .568 Lost ALCS (Red Sox) 4–3[6]
1987 1987 MLB AL West 6th 75 87 .463 10
1988 1988 MLB AL West 4th 75 87 .463 29
1989 1989 MLB AL West 3rd 91 71 .562 8
1990 1990 MLB AL West 4th 80 82 .494 23
1991 1991 MLB AL West 7th 81 81 .500 14
1992 1992 MLB AL West 5th 72 90 .444 24
1993 1993 MLB AL West 5th 71 91 .438 23 Tim Salmon (ROY)[7]
1994[g] 1994 MLB AL West 4th 47 68 .409
1995[h] 1995 MLB AL West 2nd 78 67 .538 1
1996 1996 MLB AL West 4th 70 91 .435 19½
Anaheim Angels
1997 1997 MLB AL West 2nd 84 78 .519 6
1998 1998 MLB AL West 2nd 85 77 .525 3
1999 1999 MLB AL West 4th 70 92 .432 25
2000 2000 MLB AL West 3rd 82 80 .506
2001 2001 MLB AL West 3rd 75 87 .463 41
2002 2002 MLB † AL * West 2nd ¤ 99 63 .611 4 Won ALDS (Yankees) 3–1
Won ALCS (Twins) 4–1
Won World Series (Giants) 4–3[8]
Mike Scioscia (MOY)[9]
2003 2003 MLB AL West 3rd 77 85 .475 19
2004 2004 MLB AL West ^ 1st 92 70 .568 Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–0[10] Vladimir Guerrero (MVP)[4]
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2005 2005 MLB AL West ^ 1st 95 67 .586 Won ALDS (Yankees) 3–2
Lost ALCS (White Sox) 4–1[11]
Bartolo Colón (CYA)[2]
2006 2006 MLB AL West 2nd 89 73 .549 4
2007 2007 MLB AL West ^ 1st 94 68 .580 Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–0[12]
2008 2008 MLB AL West ^ 1st 100 62 .617 Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–1[13]
2009 2009 MLB AL West ^ 1st 97 65 .599 Won ALDS (Red Sox) 3–0
Lost ALCS (Yankees) 4–2[14]
Mike Scioscia (MOY)[9]
2010 2010 MLB AL West 3rd 80 82 .494 10
2011 2011 MLB AL West 2nd 86 76 .531 10
2012 2012 MLB AL West 3rd 89 73 .549 5 Mike Trout (ROY)[7]
2013 2013 MLB AL West 3rd 78 84 .481 18
2014 2014 MLB AL West ^ 1st 98 64 .605 Lost ALDS (Royals) 3–0 Mike Trout (MVP)
2015 2015 MLB AL West 3rd 85 77 .525 3
Los Angeles Angels
2016 2016 MLB AL West 4th 74 88 .457 21 Mike Trout (MVP)
2017 2017 MLB AL West 2nd 80 82 .494 21
2018 2018 MLB AL West 4th 80 82 .494 23 Shohei Ohtani (ROY)
2019 2019 MLB AL West 4th 72 90 .444 35 Mike Trout (MVP)
2020* 2020 MLB AL West 3rd 26 34 .433 10
2021 2021 MLB AL West 4th 77 85 .475 18 Shohei Ohtani (MVP)
2022 2022 MLB AL West 3rd 73 89 .451 33
2023 2023 MLB AL West 4th 73 89 .451 17 Shohei Ohtani (MVP)
2024 2024 MLB AL West 5th 63 99 .389 25½
Totals Wins Losses Win%
5,021 5,115 .495 All-time regular season record (1961–2024)
27 37 .422 All-time postseason record
5,048 5,152 .495 All-time regular and postseason record

Record by decade

[edit]

The following table describes the Angels' MLB win–loss record by decade.

Decade Wins Losses Pct
1960s 685 770 .471
1970s 781 831 .484
1980s 783 783 .500
1990s 738 817 .475
2000s 900 720 .556
2010s 822 798 .507
2020s 312 396 .441
All-time 5021 5113 .495

These statistics are from Baseball-Reference.com's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim History & Encyclopedia,.[15]

Postseason appearances

[edit]
Year Wild Card Game/Series LDS LCS World Series
1979 None (Won AL West) Baltimore Orioles L (1–3)
1982 None (Won AL West) Milwaukee Brewers L (2–3)
1986 None (Won AL West) Boston Red Sox L (3–4)
2002 None (Won AL Wild Card) New York Yankees W (3–1) Minnesota Twins W (4–1) San Francisco Giants W (4–3)
2004 None (Won AL West) Boston Red Sox L (0–3)
2005 None (Won AL West) New York Yankees W (3–2) Chicago White Sox L (1–4)
2007 None (Won AL West) Boston Red Sox L (0–3)
2008 None (Won AL West) Boston Red Sox L (1–3)
2009 None (Won AL West) Boston Red Sox W (3–0) New York Yankees L (2–4)
2014 None (Won AL West) Kansas City Royals L (0–3)

Postseason record by year

[edit]

The Angels have made the postseason ten times in their history, with their first being in 1979 and the most recent being in 2014.

Year Finish Round Opponent Result
1979 American League West Champions ALCS Baltimore Orioles Lost 1 3
1982 American League West Champions ALCS Milwaukee Brewers Lost 2 3
1986 American League West Champions ALCS Boston Red Sox Lost 3 4
2002 World Series Champions ALDS New York Yankees Won 3 1
ALCS Minnesota Twins Won 4 1
World Series San Francisco Giants Won 4 3
2004 American League West Champions ALDS Boston Red Sox Lost 0 3
2005 American League West Champions ALDS New York Yankees Won 3 2
ALCS Chicago White Sox Lost 1 4
2007 American League West Champions ALDS Boston Red Sox Lost 0 3
2008 American League West Champions ALDS Boston Red Sox Lost 1 3
2009 American League West Champions ALDS Boston Red Sox Won 3 0
ALCS New York Yankees Lost 2 4
2014 American League West Champions ALDS Kansas City Royals Lost 0 3
10 Totals 5–9 27 37

Notes

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  • a This is determined by calculating the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two.
  • b For lists of all American League pennant winners, see American League pennant winners 1901–68 and American League Championship Series.
  • c Half-game increments are possible because games can be cancelled due to rain. If a postponed game is the last of the season between two teams in one of their stadiums, it may not be made up if it does not affect the playoff race.[16]
  • d In 1969, the American League split into East and West divisions.[17]
  • e The 1972 Major League Baseball strike forced the cancellation of the Angels' first seven games of the season.[18]
  • f The 1981 Major League Baseball strike caused the season to be split into two halves.[18]
  • g The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, which started on August 12, led to the cancellation of the playoffs and World Series.[19] As a result of the abbreviated season, MLB did not officially award division championships.[20]
  • h The 1994 MLB strike lasted until April 2, 1995, causing the shortening of the 1995 season to 144 games.[18]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Best 100-Loss Team in Modern Baseball History".
  2. ^ a b "Cy Young Award winners". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  3. ^ "1979 AL Championship Series". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  4. ^ a b "Most Valuable Player winners". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  5. ^ "1982 AL Championship Series". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  6. ^ "1986 AL Championship Series". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  7. ^ a b "Rookie of the Year winners". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  8. ^ "2002 Anaheim Angels Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  9. ^ a b "Manager of the Year winners". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  10. ^ "2004 Anaheim Angels". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  11. ^ "2005 Anaheim Angels Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  12. ^ "2007 AL Division Series". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  13. ^ "2008 AL Division Series". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  14. ^ "2009 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  15. ^ "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  16. ^ Bodley, Hal (2007-02-18). "Ties in baseball called out by rules committee". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  17. ^ Leggett, William (1969-04-14). "One Hundred And One". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2012-02-02. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  18. ^ a b c "Baseball stoppages date back to 1972". ESPN. Associated Press. 2002-08-29. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  19. ^ "Strike looms large over All-Star Game". CNN Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 2002-07-07. Archived from the original on July 11, 2002. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  20. ^ Newhan, Ross (1994-10-06). "A Season Without Titles – Baseball: Players will be honored, but there will be no divisional champions because of the shortened schedule". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
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