Since , the team has played its home games at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. Due to the move, the franchise was known as the California Angels from to and the Anaheim Angels from to The current Los Angeles Angels name came into use the following season.
Throughout their first four decades of existence, the Angels were a middling franchise, but did win three division titles and notably hosted the careers of Hall of Fame players Nolan Ryan , Rod Carew , and Reggie Jackson. Under manager Mike Scioscia , they would eventually achieve their first Wild Card spot in , and used this momentum to win the World Series , their only championship appearance to date. Over the next seven years under Scioscia's management, the Angels would then win five division titles, spearheaded by their lone Hall of Fame representative Vladimir Guerrero.
They also saw an increase in fan attendance, consistently placing the franchise among the top draws in MLB. Despite this, they have not appeared in the postseason since , the longest active playoff drought of any MLB team.
Through , the Angels have a winβloss record of 5,β5,β3. The team name started in The current Angels franchise was established by MLB in after original owner Gene Autry bought the rights to the franchise name from Walter O'Malley , the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner, who had acquired the franchise from Phil Wrigley , the owner of the Chicago Cubs at the time. As an expansion franchise, the club continued in Los Angeles and played their home games at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field not to be confused with Chicago 's ballpark of the same name , which had formerly been the home of the PCL Angels.
The Angels were one of two expansion teams established as a result of the Major League Baseball expansion , along with the second incarnation of the Washington Senators now Texas Rangers. The team then moved in to newly built Dodger Stadium , which the Angels referred to as Chavez Ravine , where they were tenants of the Dodgers through The team's founder, entertainer Gene Autry, owned the franchise for its first 36 years.
