The Angels have been around for 60 years, dating back to the franchise’s first season in 1961. Since then, the likes of Nolan Ryan, Frank Tanana, Reggie Jackson, Shohei Ohtani, and Mike Trout have all called Anaheim home. But how many World Series championships have been awarded to the Los Angeles Angels? Here’s an answer to that question.
Los Angeles Angels World Series history
Dating back to the franchise’s founding in 1961, the Los Angeles Angels franchise has won just one World Series title.
For the first 40 years of the franchise’s history, the Angels had failed to capture to crown. From 1961-2001, the Angels made the playoffs just three times. The team’s most recent playoff appearance prior to 2002 was in 1986, a year that saw the Angels win 92 games and face the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS.
In that series, the Angels had a 3-1 series lead against Boston, and led after eight innings. But in the ninth inning, Dave Henderson of the Red Sox recorded his lone hit of the series. That hit was a three-run shot that gave Boston the lead, and swung the series in the Red Sox’s favor. Boston would take that game, and then win Games 6 & 7 to advance to the 1986 World Series.
2002, though, was a different story for the Angels. The Angels, led by Darin Erstad, David Eckstein, and Garret Anderson, would win 99 games to win the AL West. In the 2002 MLB Playoffs, the Angels would defeat the New York Yankees in the ALDS, and follow that up with a five-game series win in the ALCS against the Minnesota Twins.
Those two series victories led the Angels to the World Series for the very first time in franchise history. The Angels would meet up with the Giants in a back-and-forth, seven game series. In the seventh and final game, the Angels would win 4-1 to capture the franchise’s first and only title to date.
Since 2002, the Angels have made the playoffs on six separate occasions.
