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 Los Angeles under two stadiums: Wrigley Field, the venue previously used by the Pacific Coast League (PCL) Los Angeles Angels 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 shortly after changing their name to California Angels to refer to the entire state of California while playing in Anaheim Stadium, where they still play today but 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 MLB team to play in California but the first to actually originate in the state. 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 eleven straight losing seasons from 2016 to 2026, the greatest stretch of losing seasons in franchise history and currently the longest drought of reaching the postseason among all teams in the league.
The Angels in total have completed 63 seasons in Major League Baseball, qualifying for the postseason ten times with one World Series championship (2002).
Table key
American League Championship SeriesAmerican League Division SeriesCy Young AwardFinal position in league or division"Games Back" from first-place teamNumber of regular season lossesManager of the YearMost Valuable PlayerAmerican League Rookie of the YearEach year is linked to an article about that particular MLB seasonEach year is linked to an article about that particular Angels seasonNumber of regular season wins
Year by year World Series champions †AL champions *Division champions (1969–present) ^Wild card berth (1995–present) ¤
SeasonTeamLevelLeagueDivisionFinishWinsLossesWin%GBPostseasonAwardsLos Angeles Angels1961MLBAL—8th7091.43538½——1962MLBAL—3rd8676.53110——1963MLBAL—9th7091.43534——1964MLBAL—5th8280.50617—Dean Chance (CYA)California Angels1965MLBAL—7th7587.46327——1966MLBAL—6th8082.49418——1967MLBAL—5th8477.5227½——1968MLBAL—8th6795.41436——1969MLBALWest3rd7191.43826——1970MLBALWest3rd8676.53112——1971MLBALWest4th7686.46925½——1972MLBALWest5th7580.48418——1973MLBALWest4th7983.48815——1974MLBALWest6th6894.42022——1975MLBALWest6th7289.44725½——1976MLBAL West4th7686.46914—— 1977MLBAL West5th7488.45728—— 1978 MLBAL West2nd8775.5375——1979MLBALWest ^1st8874.543—Lost ALCS (Orioles) 3–1Don Baylor (MVP)1980MLBALWest 6th6595.40631——1981MLBAL West4th3129.517———7th2030.400—1982MLBALWest ^1st9369.574—Lost ALCS (Brewers) 3–2—1983MLBALWest5th7092.43229——1984MLBALWest2nd8181.5003——1985MLBALWest2nd9072.5561——1986MLBALWest ^1st9270.568—Lost ALCS (Red Sox) 4–3—1987MLBALWest6th7587.46310——1988MLBALWest4th7587.46329——1989MLBALWest3rd9171.5628——1990MLBALWest4th8082.49423——1991MLBALWest7th8181.50014——1992MLBALWest5th7290.44424——1993MLBALWest5th7191.43823—Tim Salmon (ROY)1994MLBALWest4th4768.4095½——1995MLBALWest2nd 7867.5381—— 1996 MLBAL West4th7091.43519½——Anaheim Angels1997MLBALWest2nd 8478.5196—— 1998 MLBAL West2nd8577.5253—— 1999 MLBAL West4th 7092.43225—— 2000 MLBAL West3rd8280.5069½——2001MLBAL West3rd 7587.46341——2002 MLB †AL *West2nd ¤9963.6114Won ALDS (Yankees) 3–1Won ALCS (Twins) 4–1Won World Series (Giants) 4–3 †Mike Scioscia (MOY)2003MLBAL West3rd 7785.47519——2004MLBALWest ^1st9270.568—Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–0Vladimir Guerrero (MVP)Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim2005MLBALWest ^1st9567.586—Won ALDS (Yankees) 3–2Lost ALCS (White Sox) 4–1Bartolo Colón (CYA)2006MLBALWest2nd8973.5494——2007MLBALWest ^1st9468.580—Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–0—2008MLBALWest ^1st10062.617—Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–1— 2009MLB AL West ^1st9765.599—Won ALDS (Red Sox) 3–0Lost ALCS (Yankees) 4–2Mike Scioscia (MOY) 2010 MLBAL West3rd 8082.49410—— 2011 MLBAL West2nd8676.53110—— 2012 MLBAL West3rd8973.5495—Mike Trout (ROY)2013MLBALWest3rd7884.48118——2014MLBALWest ^1st9864.605—Lost ALDS (Royals) 3–0Mike Trout (MVP)2015MLBALWest3rd8577.5253——Los Angeles Angels2016MLBALWest4th7488.45721—Mike Trout (MVP)2017MLBALWest2nd8082.49421——2018MLBALWest4th8082.49423—Shohei Ohtani (ROY)2019MLBALWest4th7290.44435—Mike Trout (MVP)*2020MLBALWest3rd2634.43310——2021MLBALWest4th7785.47518—Shohei Ohtani (MVP)2022MLBALWest3rd7389.45133——2023MLBALWest4th7389.45117—Shohei Ohtani (MVP)2024MLBALWest5th6399.38925½——2025MLBALWest5th7290.44418——2026MLBALWest5th62100.38319——TotalsWinsLossesWin%5,1555,305All-time regular season record (1961–2025)2737All-time postseason record 5,120 5,242All-time regular and postseason record
Record by decade 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 384 486 .441All-time 50935203.495 These statistics are from Baseball-Reference.com's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim History & Encyclopedia.
Postseason appearances YearWild Card Game/SeriesLDSLCSWorld Series1979colspan=4 (Won AL West)Baltimore Orioles1982colspan=4 (Won AL West)Milwaukee Brewers1986colspan=4 (Won AL West)Boston Red Sox2002colspan=2 (Won AL Wild Card)New York YankeesMinnesota TwinsSan Francisco Giants2004colspan=2 (Won AL West)Boston Red Sox2005colspan=2 (Won AL West)New York YankeesChicago White Sox2007colspan=2 (Won AL West)Boston Red Sox2008colspan=2 (Won AL West)Boston Red Sox2009colspan=2 (Won AL West)Boston Red SoxNew York Yankees2014colspan=2 (Won AL West)Kansas City Royals
Postseason record by year The Angels have made the postseason ten times in their history, with their first being in 1979 and the most recent being in 2014. YearFinishRoundOpponentResultAmerican League West ChampionsALCSBaltimore OriolesLost13American League West ChampionsALCSMilwaukee BrewersLost23American League West ChampionsALCSBoston Red SoxLost34World Series ChampionsALDSNew York YankeesWon31ALCSMinnesota TwinsWon41World SeriesSan Francisco GiantsWon43American League West ChampionsALDSBoston Red SoxLost03American League West ChampionsALDSNew York YankeesWon32ALCSChicago White SoxLost14American League West ChampionsALDSBoston Red SoxLost03American League West ChampionsALDSBoston Red SoxLost13American League West ChampionsALDSBoston Red SoxWon30ALCSNew York YankeesLost24American League West ChampionsALDSKansas City RoyalsLost0310Totals5–92737
Notes This is determined by calculating the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two. For lists of all American League pennant winners, see American League pennant winners 1901–68 and American League Championship Series. 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. In 1969, the American League split into East and West divisions. The 1972 Major League Baseball strike forced the cancellation of the Angels' first seven games of the season. The 1981 Major League Baseball strike caused the season to be split into two halves. The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, which started on August 12, led to the cancellation of the playoffs and World Series. As a result of the abbreviated season, MLB did not officially award division championships. The 1994 MLB strike lasted until April 2, 1995, causing the shortening of the 1995 season to 144 games.
References
External links Angels Year-By-Year Results at MLB.com Angels Postseason Results at MLB.com