Angel Stadium
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox venue
Angel Stadium (originally and colloquially known as Anaheim Stadium) is a ballpark in Anaheim, California, United States. Since its opening Template:Time ago in 1966, it has been the home venue of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), who relocated from Los Angeles to Anaheim following the 1965 season. Founded in 1961, the Angels were the first MLB team to originate in California, unlike the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, who relocated from New York. The Angels played their inaugural season at Wrigley Field (Los Angeles), a now-demolished ballpark in South Los Angeles, and then at Chavez Ravine Stadium (better known as Dodger Stadium) from 1962 to 1965 before moving to Anaheim Stadium, where construction began in 1964.
The stadium also served as the home of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1994.
The stadium is often referred to by its unofficial nickname The Big A, coined by Herald Examiner Sports Editor Bud Furillo. It is the fourth-oldest active ballpark in the majors, behind Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodger Stadium.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The stadium hosted the MLB All-Star Game three times in 1967, 1989, and 2010, as well as the World Series in 2002.<ref name="losangeles.angels.mlb.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
Aside from professional baseball and football, Angel Stadium has hosted a variety of major events. These include concerts by world-renowned artists such as The Who (1970), Pink Floyd (1977), the Rolling Stones (1978, 2002, 2005), and Aerosmith (1976).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The stadium has also been a longtime venue for the AMA Supercross Championship, which has been held at the venue since 1976. The stadium remains one of the most iconic stops on the Supercross circuit, frequently serving as the season opener and hosting multiple rounds annually.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Religious events have also played a significant role at the stadium, including Billy Graham’s evangelistic crusades and the annual Harvest Crusades led by Greg Laurie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, Eid al-Fitr celebrations have drawn thousands of worshippers for morning prayers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other events have included college and high school football games.
The stadium also houses the studios and offices of the Angels' owned and operated flagship radio station, KLAA (830 AM).
Location and "Big A"
Angel Stadium and its surrounding parking lot are roughly bounded by Katella Avenue to the north, the Orange Freeway to the east, Orangewood Avenue to the south, and State College Boulevard to the west.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The landmark "Big A" sign, which originally served as a scoreboard support in left field, is located near the eastern boundary of the parking lot. The halo located near the top of the Template:Convert tall, 210-ton sign once blinked on and off after dark on game days when the Angels won (both at home and on the road) a practice broadcaster Victor Rojas was known for referring to by saying "Light that baby up!" (blinking) after a victory. The halo would remain on without blinking when they lost.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since at least the 2023 season, the halo remains lit at all times, although it shines brighter when the Angels win.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center)
ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center) servicing the Metrolink Orange County Line and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, is located nearby on the other side of the State Route 57 and accessed through the Douglass Road gate at the northeast corner of the parking lot. The station provides convenient access to the stadium, the nearby Honda Center, and Disneyland from various communities along the route.
History
Beginnings
Angel Stadium has been the home of the Angels since their move from Los Angeles. On August 31, 1964, ground was broken for Anaheim Stadium and in 1966, the then-California Angels moved into their new home after having spent four seasons renting Dodger Stadium (referred to in Angels games as Chavez Ravine Stadium) from the Dodgers (In their inaugural season of 1961, the Angels played their home games at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field.)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Originally called Anaheim Stadium when the Angels began play there in 1966, the name was changed to Edison International Field in 1997 and to Angel Stadium following the 2003 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The stadium was built on a parcel of about Template:Convert of flat land originally used for agricultural purposes by the Allec, Russell, and Knutzen families<ref name="LosAngelesTimes"/> in the southeast portion of Anaheim. Consistent with many major-league sports stadiums built in the 1960s, it is located in a suburban area, though one that is host to major tourist attractions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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The field dimensions (333 feet)Template:Citation needed were derived from a scientific study conducted by the Angels. Based on the air density at normal game times (1:30 pm and 8 pm), the Angels tried to formulate dimensions that were fairly balanced between pitcher, hitter, and average weather conditions. The Angels tinkered with those dimensions several times, expanding or contracting parts of the outfield by a few feet, to refine that balance. Template:Convert is the second shortest center-field in the American League, and tied for 4th-shortest in the major leagues with Petco Park behind only Fenway Park at Template:Convert, Oracle Park at Template:Convert and Dodger Stadium at Template:Cvt. Despite this, Angels Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan still threw two of his seven no-hitters in the ballpark, alongside 2,416 of his 5,714 career strikeouts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Rams
In the late 1970s, Los Angeles Rams owner Carroll Rosenbloom was looking for a more modern venue than the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and also wanted a stadium small enough to prevent Rams games from being blacked out on local television. The Coliseum seated almost 100,000 people, and the Rams had trouble filling it even in their best years. Rosenbloom eventually brokered a deal by which the Rams would move from Los Angeles to an expanded Anaheim Stadium. To add more seats (eventually about 23,000) for football games, the mezzanine and upper decks were extended completely around the playing field, resulting in a roughly trapezoidal, completely enclosed stadium. An elevated bank of bleachers was built in right and left fields, and temporary seats were placed underneath to be pulled out for football games.
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Additionally, the Big A scoreboard support that stood in left field, and was the inspiration for the stadium's nickname, was moved Template:Convert to its present site in the parking lot, adjoining the Orange Freeway beyond the right-field stands; its usage changed from scoreboard to electronic marquee advertising upcoming events at the stadium. A black and amber scoreboard/instant replay video board was installed above the newly constructed upper deck seats in left field. Swift technical innovations in scoreboards in the 1980s quickly made the 1979 display obsolete, and the visual quality was washed out during day games as it was in direct sunshine, leading a Sony Jumbotron color board to replace it in 1988, alongside amber matrix displays installed above the right field upper deck and along the infield balcony. A triangular metal spire was added to the top of the Jumbotron to evoke the original emplacement of the "Big A".
As with the addition of football seats to Candlestick Park a decade before to accommodate the rival San Francisco 49ers, the changes ultimately disadvantaged the Angels and their fans. Originally no seat had been further than Template:Convert from the field when first designed for baseball,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but afterwards this was no longer the case. Also, while the expanded capacity allowed the Angels to set attendance records that still stand today, on most occasions even crowds of 40,000 left swaths of unusable and empty seats. It also did not completely solve the television blackout issue which inspired the Rams to move from the Coliseum, as the stadium would not sell out if the Rams weren't competitive or if the opposing team did not draw their own fans to Anaheim (be they from out of town or transplants to Southern California) to sell out the game.
The expansion was completed in time for the 1980 NFL season, and the Rams played in Anaheim Stadium from then until their move to St. Louis after the 1994 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Rams would later return to Los Angeles in 2016, playing their games at the Memorial Coliseum again for four seasons; the team moved into the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in 2020.
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The January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake on Martin Luther King Jr. Day caused the left-field Jumbotron to collapse onto the upper deck seats beneath it. As the Rams and Angels were both out of season and it occurred in the pre-dawn hours, nobody was injured.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The damaged section was deconstructed and rebuilt with a new scoreboard structure and Jumbotron, eliminating the A-frame spire that evoked the Big A.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Disney era
In 1996, two years after the Rams' final game in Anaheim, The Walt Disney Company, a minority owner of the team since its inception (the stadium is located less than Template:Convert east of Disneyland and across from the Arrowhead Pond, the home venue of the then Disney-owned Mighty Ducks of Anaheim), gained enough support on the board to effectively take control of the team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Soon afterward, the Angels and the city of Anaheim agreed to a new deal that would keep the Angels in Anaheim until 2031, with an option to leave the facility after the 2016 season. As part of the deal, the stadium underwent an extensive renovation, returning the stadium to its original role as a baseball-only facility. Before the 1997 baseball season, the section behind the outfield wall was demolished. Disney briefly considered moving the Big A scoreboard to its original location, but decided against such a move, citing costs as well as the fact that the Big A had become a Southern California landmark in its parking lot location.
Despite the fact that much of the stadium was still a hard-hat zone, the demolition and construction being only half-completed, the Angels played their 1997 season in Anaheim. Fans were greeted by a restored view of the San Gabriel and Santa Ana Mountains, the Brea Hills, and the 57 freeway beyond the outfield.
Work that did not interfere with game play continued throughout the 1997 season, with major renovations resuming in the winter of 1997. These included the installation of outfield bleacher pavilions, a video display board and an out-of-town scoreboard below the right field seats. All of the multicolored seats were replaced by green seats. The exterior of the stadium was also renovated. The concrete structure and ramps were painted a combination of green and sandstone. Much of the façade of the stadium was torn down to create a more open feeling for visitors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The most notable feature of the entire renovation, however, was a "California Spectacular" in which geysers erupt and a stream cascades down a mountainside (Pride Rock) covered with real trees, artificial rocks behind the left-center field fence, and new bullpens. Fireworks shoot out of the display at the start of games, after every Angel home run and after every Angel win (previously they had been shot off from a parking garage).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The field dimensions of the renovated stadium became somewhat asymmetrical, with the Template:Convert high fence in right center field (which earlier hid the football-only bleacher section) replaced by a Template:Convert high wall which contains a scoreboard displaying out-of-town scores of other games. A plaza was built around the perimeter of the stadium, and inside are statues depicting longtime Angel owner and chairman Gene Autry and Michelle Carew, daughter of former Angel Rod Carew, who died of leukemia at the age of 18.
The main entrance includes two giant Angels hats complete with New Era tags on the sweatband (including one indicating the hats' size: 649½). The hats were originally blue and featured the Angels' "winged" logo designed by Disney for the 1997 season, and were repainted red and decorated with the present-day halo insignia for the 2002 season. Also outside home plate gate is a full-sized brick infield complete with regulation pitcher's mound and lighted bases, with bricks at each player position engraved with the names of Angels players who played at that position on Opening Day of each season since the Angels began play in 1961. For a fee, the green infield bricks can be engraved with fans' names or personalized messages. The Angels opened their "new" stadium on April 1, 1998, with a 4–1 victory over the New York Yankees.<ref>1998 Anaheim Angels Schedule by Baseball Almanac</ref> The renovated stadium has 5,075 club seats and 78 luxury suites.
In 1998, the stadium was renamed Edison International Field of Anaheim after local utility Edison International reached a deal giving it naming rights over the stadium for 20 years, and during this time, the stadium was referred to as the "Big Ed". However, after the 2003 season, Edison International exercised its option to exit the sponsorship deal. On December 29, 2003, the Angels announced that from then on the stadium would be known as Angel Stadium (in full, Angel Stadium of Anaheim); Disney sold the Angels around this time as well.Template:Citation needed
Video improvements and cancelled sale
In 2009, Daktronics installed light emitting diode (LED) displays at the stadium. The largest video display measures Template:Convert high by Template:Convert wide. Two smaller displays flank the large display, and a field-level display sits in the centerfield fence.<ref name=display>Template:Cite web</ref>
During the 2017-2018 offseason, the Angels upgraded the existing video boards in left and right field. The new left field video board measures Template:Convert, while the new right field board measures Template:Convert, the fourth largest scoreboard in MLB. In addition to this, the out of town scoreboard was upgraded, new video ribbons stretch from foul pole to foul pole, and a new sound system was added. Because of the new out of town scoreboard, the Angels moved the home run line in right field down from Template:Convert to Template:Convert, though the height of the right field wall remains the same.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Angels opted out of their lease in October 2018, largely to avoid a contractual provision which would have forced them to remain in the stadium until 2029, though the club then had no new stadium proposals or moving plans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2019, the city of Anaheim agreed to sell the stadium and surrounding land to an Arte Moreno-affiliated management company for $325 million, with the team committed to remain in Anaheim until at least 2050, with options to remain until at least 2065.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The deal, made behind closed doors, has led to allegations of corruption and violations of the state's Surplus Land Act. An ongoing FBI investigation into the city's internal affairs and the stadium sale eventually led to the resignation of Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu on May 23, 2022, putting the stadium's pending sale into question.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On May 24, 2022, the Anaheim City Council voted to cancel the sale to Moreno's SRB Management, in light of the corruption probe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On February 6, 2025, the Angels extended their lease until 2032.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Seating capacity
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball primary style;"|Years | scope="row" style="Template:Baseball primary style;"|Capacity |
|---|---|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|1966–1978 | 43,202
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|1979 | 43,250
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|1980–1985 | 65,158
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|1986–1987 | 64,573
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|1988–1996 | 64,593
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|1997 | 33,851
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|1998–2005 | 45,050
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2006–2007 | 45,262
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2008–2009 | 45,281
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2010–2011 | 45,389
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2012 | 45,957
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2013–2014 | 45,483
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2015 | 45,957
|
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2016 | 45,493<ref name="Fresca">Template:Cite press release</ref> |
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2017–2018 | 45,477<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| scope="row" style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|2019–present | 45,517<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| scope="row" style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle;"|Years | scope="row" style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle;"|Capacity |
|---|---|
| scope="row" style="Template:NFLAltPrimaryStyle;"|1980–1994 | 69,008
|
Notable events
Baseball
The stadium was host to the 1967 MLB All-Star Game, the first All-Star Game to be played on prime-time television. This was the first time an All-Star Game was held at night since World War II. Angel Stadium again hosted All-Star Games in 1989 and 2010.<ref name="losangeles.angels.mlb.com"/>
It hosted seven American League Division Series (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2014) and six American League Championship Series (1979, 1982, 1986, 2002, 2005, and 2009). Most notably, it hosted the 2002 World Series, which the Angels won over the San Francisco Giants.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Angel Stadium hosted several games during Round 2 of the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
On Saturday, August 9, 2014, the stadium hosted its longest game ever, a 6-hour, 31-minute game between the Angels and the Boston Red Sox that extended for 19 innings, before Albert Pujols gave the Angels a 5-4 win.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Famous individual baseball milestones attained in the stadium include Mickey Mantle’s final game-winning home run, Nolan Ryan’s record of striking out nine consecutive Boston Red Sox players (and two of his seven career no-hitters), Reggie Jackson’s 500th home run, Rod Carew’s 3,000th hit, Don Sutton’s 300th win, Vladimir Guerrero’s 400th home run, George Brett’s 3,000th hit, and Albert Pujols’ 600th home run.
More recently, Shohei Ohtani achieved multiple unprecedented feats at Angel Stadium. In the 2021 season, he became the first player since Babe Ruth in 1919 to hit 30 or more home runs while making at least 10 pitching appearances in the same season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That same year, he became the first player in MLB history to be selected to the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and a hitter in the same season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On June 27, 2023, Ohtani became the first American League player since 1961 to hit two home runs and record 10 or more strikeouts in the same game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2022 season, Ohtani became the first player in AL and NL history to record 30 home runs at the plate and 10 wins on the mound in a single season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Additionally, in 2021, he became the first player in MLB history to record 30 home runs and 100 strikeouts as a pitcher in a single season,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> all while playing home games in Anaheim.
The Savannah Bananas, an exhibition baseball team known for their on-field entertainment, played two sold out games at Angel Stadium on May 30 and 31 as part of their 2025 tour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Football
In 1971, Angel Stadium hosted the Mercy Bowl, a charity bowl game between Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 16,854 attended the game, raising over $50,000 for the surviving families of those impacted by the California Polytechnic State University football team plane crash in 1960.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
A "Battle of the Bell" game between Fountain Valley High School and Edison High School was hosted in the stadium sometime during the 1970s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Rams' Eric Dickerson broke the NFL single-season rushing record in game 15 of the 1984 season at Angel Stadium, finishing the game with 2,007 yards accumulated on the season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dickerson went on to record 2,105 total yards in 1984.
In December 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles used Angel Stadium as their practice field, as part of the Eagles' two-game West Coast road trip.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Soccer
Anaheim Stadium hosted five group stage matches of the 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup, including two involving the United States national team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Date | style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Winning Team | style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Result | style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Losing Team | style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Tournament | style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 10, 1996 | Template:Fb | 3–1 | Template:Fb | 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup First Round | 27,125 |
| Template:Fb | 3–2 | Template:Fb | |||
| January 13, 1996 | Template:Fb | 3–2 | Template:Fb | 12,425 | |
| January 16, 1996 | Template:Fb | 3–0 | Template:Nowrap | 52,345 | |
| Template:Fb | 2–0 | Template:Fb |
Concerts
Angel Stadium has hosted concerts including bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, U2, The Osmonds, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, The Grateful Dead, Madonna, the Eagles,<ref name=":0" /> Jackson Browne,<ref name=":0" /> Linda Ronstadt,<ref name=":0" /> and Toots and the Maytals.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>
Motion picture set
Several major motion pictures have been shot at Angel Stadium. The final sequence of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) featured an electronically manipulated Reggie Jackson trying to shoot Queen Elizabeth II. Exteriors were shot at the ballpark, but most baseball scenes were shot at Dodger Stadium. The 1988 sci-fi comedy My Stepmother Is an Alien features a scene shot in Angel Stadium of Kim Basinger speaking to an extraterrestrial counsel. The 1990 comedy Taking Care of Business featured a World Series matchup between the Angels and the Chicago Cubs, with the baseball scenes in the movie having been filmed in the stadium. The Disney remake of Angels in the Outfield (1994) prominently uses the ballpark; however, many of the interior shots were filmed at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The stadium served as a stand-in for Candlestick Park in filming of The Fan (1996). Scenes from Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch were also filmed here.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other events
On November 16, 1979, Anaheim Stadium hosted motorcycle speedway, when it was the venue for the American Final, a qualifying round for the 1980 edition of the Speedway World Championship.6<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bruce Penhall won the American Final from Scott Autrey and Dennis Sigalos. Penhall and Autrey qualified to the Intercontinental Final in England held over 6 months later. Penhall qualified through to his first World Final held at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden where he finished in 5th place.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Anaheim Stadium has hosted an AMA Supercross Championship round from 1976 to 1979, 1981 to 1987, 1989 to 1996, and 1999 to the present.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The stadium is also host to Monster Jam, which hosts several shows every year.
Angel Stadium has been the site of annual Christian Harvest Crusades since 1990.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It has also hosted Muslim Eid el Fitr celebrations.<ref name = "eid">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, Barack Obama gave a commencement speech for University of California, Irvine graduates, which was held at the stadium due to capacity and security concerns.
Angel Stadium holds an annual 5K run whose course runs through the stadium and around its parking lot.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Regular season home attendance
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Gallery
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Exterior of Anaheim Stadium, circa 1967
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Exterior of Anaheim Stadium, July 1980
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Exterior of Edison Field, December 2000
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Exterior of Angel Stadium, May 2007
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References
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External links
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