Today, we continue with part two
of our look at current ballparks that were in use in the mid-1980s. Again, we
go to the West Coast as we look at ballpark #5.
#5. Angel Stadium
of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
Home of: Los
Angeles Angels since 1966
Built in:
1966
Baseball
Capacity: 45,957
Previous
Names: Anaheim Stadium (1966-1997)
Edison International Field of Anaheim
(1998-2003)
History: The
Los Angeles Angels played the first five years of their existence in downtown
LA, first at Wrigley Field (Yes, there was a Wrigley Field in LA), than at
Dodger Stadium. They moved into the park in Anaheim and changed their name to
the California Angels. In 1997, the team dropped California and called
themselves the Anaheim Angels, then changed to the Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim (which sounds stupid, so I just leave the “of Anaheim” out) in 2005. The
Angels won their only World Series Championship in an exciting seven game
series against the San Francisco Giants in 2002. Some of the All-Star players
in team history are Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, David Eckstein, Troy
Glaus, Troy Percival, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols
Charm: I like this ballpark, and despite it being
number five on my list, it is far better than Oakland’s. The renovations at the
Angels’ ballpark were actually the opposite of Oakland’s in that they
originally had an enclosed stadium—the Los Angeles Rams played here from the
late 1970s until their move to St. Louis in 1995—and changed it to be a bit
opened with a beautiful view of the mountains.
Below, the first picture is the ballpark with the enclosed outfield before the renovations. The second is the park as it looks today.
Great
Moments:
October 12,
1986: This moment cannot be placed higher because it happened against the
Angels. California led the best of seven ALCS three games to one against the favoured
Boston Red Sox. They also led Game 5 by a score of 5-2 as play entered the top
of the ninth. With one out, Boston’s Don Baylor hit a two-run home run to bring
the score to 5-4. After the second out and a hit batter, California relief
pitcher Donnie Moore faced Boston outfielder Dave Henderson. With two strikes
against him, Henderson blasted another two-run homer for the Sox, giving them a
6-5 lead. Although the Angels tied the game in the bottom half of the inning,
the Red Sox won in eleven, and then won both Games 6 and 7 back in Boston to
advance to the World Series.
October 27,
2002: This was the date the Angels captured their only World Series
Championship. This was Game 7 and after falling behind in the top of the second
1-0 to the Giants, the Angels tied the score in the bottom of the inning, then
added three more in the third. The pitching held the Giants’ offensive
juggernaut scoreless the rest of the way and when Darin Erstad caught the
flyball for the final out in the ninth inning, the Angels were on top of the
baseball world.
October 26,
2002: This was Game Six of the 2002 World Series, and although it wasn’t the
game that won the Angels the World Series, it was a much more dramatic game.
The Giants led the game 5-0 going into the bottom of the seventh. They were six
outs away from winning their first championships since moving to San Francisco
back in the late 1950s. But the Angels scored three runs in the seventh and
another three in the eighth, and closer Troy Percival shut the door in the
ninth as the Angels won 6-5 to tie the series and set the stage for the
clincher the following night. (I’ll talk about the “Game Ball” incident in
October.)
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