2023 Los Angeles Angels season

The 2023 Los Angeles Angels season was the 63rd season of the Angels franchise in the American League, the 58th in Anaheim, and their 58th season playing their home games at Angel Stadium. Chasing history to try and reach their first playoff appearance since 2014, the Angels started 40–32, but subsequently collapsed and, on September 16, the Angels were eliminated from postseason contention, for the ninth straight year. They repeat their record from the previous year, which was 73–89. They set a mark with their eighth consecutive losing season, eclipsing the mark previously set by the 1971–1977 teams. The Angels drew an average home attendance of 32,599 in 81 home games in the 2023 MLB season, the 13th highest in the league.

Offseason

The Angels finished the 2022 season 73–89, 33 games out of first place. They missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season and now share the longest current playoff drought with the Tigers. Both teams have not made the playoffs since 2014.

Rule changes Pursuant to the CBA, new rule changes will be in place for the 2023 season:

institution of a pitch clock between pitches; limits on pickoff attempts per plate appearance; limits on defensive shifts requiring two infielders to be on either side of second and be within the boundary of the infield; and larger bases (increased to 18-inch squares);

Opening Day lineup The team opened the season with a 2–1 loss to the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum on March 30.

Order No. Player Pos. 1 3 Taylor Ward LF 2 27 Mike Trout CF 3 17 Shohei Ohtani P/DH 4 6 Anthony Rendon 3B 5 2 Luis Rengifo 2B 6 12 Hunter Renfroe RF 7 23 Brandon Drury 1B 8 10 Gio Urshela SS 9 14 Logan O'Hoppe C — 17 Shohei Ohtani P

Angels team leaders Batting Batting average Shohei Ohtani .304 RBIs Shohei Ohtani 95 Stolen bases Shohei Ohtani 20 Runs scored Shohei Ohtani 102 Home runs Shohei Ohtani 44 Games played Shohei Ohtani 135Pitching ERA No qualifiers — WHIP No qualifiers — Holds Matt Moore 20 Wins Shohei Ohtani 10 Innings pitched Reid Detmers 148.1 Strikeouts Reid Detmers 168 Saves Carlos Estévez 31 Games pitched Carlos Estévez 63 Minimum 3.1 plate appearances per team games played Minimum 1 inning pitched per team games played

Regular season

March–April

May

June On June 15, Gio Urshela sustained an injury, later revealed to be a fractured pelvis and will be out for a significant amount of time. With both 3rd basemen options (Gio Urshela, Anthony Rendon) out with injuries, on June 23, the Angels traded minor league players Coleman Crow, and Landon Marceaux to the New York Mets for Eduardo Escobar.

On Saturday, June 24, the Angels recorded new team records for both runs and hits in a 25-1 blowout over the Colorado Rockies. Despite outscoring the Rockies 32-12 in the series, the Angels lost the series, making the second worst run differential of a team who won a baseball series.Angels lose two of three against Rockies despite outscoring them 32-12 in series, Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2023 Additionally, on June 25, the day after the 25-1 blowout, the Angels acquired Mike Moustakas for minor league player Connor Van Scoyoc.

July On July 26, the Angels traded minor leaguers Ky Bush and Edgar Quero to the Chicago White Sox for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. When asked about the trade, General Manager Perry Minasian said: "For this team to be in this position with the injuries we’ve had, I felt like I owed it to the group to give them a better chance to win." A day after the trade, the Angels faced off against the Detroit Tigers in a doubleheader. The Angels won both games as Shohei Ohtani pitched a one hit complete game shut up in Game 1 and homered twice in Game 2.

During the second game of a three game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on July 29, Taylor Ward was struck in the head by a 91mph fastball by Alek Manoah. As the result, Taylor Ward suffered facial fractures and is put on the injury list. The following day, on July 30, the Angels traded minor leaguers Jake Madden, and Mason Albright to the Colorado Rockies for Randal Grichuk, and C.J. Cron.

Injuries + 2023 Notable Injuries Player Position Date Injury Length Return Date Max Stassi Catcher 3/5/23 Hip discomfort/Personal No timetable for return Logan O'Hoppe Catcher 4/25/23 Shoulder surgery 4–6 months Jose Suarez Pitcher 5/7/23 Strained shoulder 2–3 months Jose Quijada Pitcher 5/18/23 Tommy John Surgery Out for 2023 season Austin Warren Pitcher 5/18/23 Tommy John Surgery Out for 2023 season Ben Joyce Pitcher 6/9/23 Ulnar neuritis No timetable for return Gio Urshela Infielder 6/15/23 Fractured pelvis Out for 2023 season Brandon Drury Infielder 6/29/23 Shoulder contusion No timetable for return Sam Bachman Pitcher 7/3/23 Shoulder inflammation No timetable for return Mike Trout Outfielder 7/5/23 Hand surgery (fractured hamate) 4–8 weeks Jo Adell Outfielder 7/8/23 Strained oblique No timetable for return Chris Devenski Pitcher 7/15/23 Strained hamstring No timetable for return Anthony Rendon Infielder 5/13/23 Groin strain 1–2 weeks 6/6/23 Anthony Rendon Infielder 6/15/23 Wrist contusion 1–2 weeks 6/30/23 Anthony Rendon Infielder 7/4/23 Shin bone bruise No timetable for return Zach Neto Infielder 6/14/23 Strained oblique No timetable for return 7/14/23 Matt Moore Pitcher 5/23/23 Strained oblique No timetable for return 7/14/23 Aaron Loup Pitcher 5/4/23 Strained hamstring No timetable for return 5/21/23 Ryan Tepera Pitcher 4/15/23 Shoulder inflammation No timetable for return 5/2/23 Taylor Ward Outfielder 7/29/23 Facial fracture Questionable for 2023

Game log The Angels opened up the 2023 season on the road at Oakland on March 30, losing 2-1 to the Athletics.

Legend Angels win Angels loss All-Star Game Postponement Eliminated from playoff raceBoldAngels team member

|- style="background:#fbb;" | 1 || March 30 || @ Athletics || 1–2 || May (1–0) || Loup (0–1) || Jiménez (1) || 26,805 || 0–1 || L1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 2 || April 1 || @ Athletics || 13–1 || Sandoval (1–0) || Fujinami (0–1) || Davidson (1) || 15,757 || 1–1 || W1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 3 || April 2 || @ Athletics || 6–0 || Anderson (1–0) || Waldichuk (0–1) || — || 14,638 || 2–1 || W2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 4 || April 3 || @ Mariners || 7–3 || Tepera (1–0) || Kirby (0–1) || — || 18,877 || 3–1 || W3 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 5 || April 4 || @ Mariners || 2–11 || Castillo (1–0) || Suárez (0–1) || — || 19,255 || 3–2 || L1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 6 || April 5 || @ Mariners || 4–3 || Ohtani (1–0) || Flexen (0–1) || Quijada (1) || 25,648 || 4–2 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 7 || April 7 || Blue Jays || 3–4 || Bassitt (1–1) || Herget (0–1) || Romano (4) || 44,735 || 4–3 || L1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 8 || April 8 || Blue Jays || 9–5 || Barría (1–0) || Berríos (0–2) || — || 44,534 || 5–3 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 9 || April 9 || Blue Jays || 11–12 || Romano (1–0) || Estévez (0–1) || Mayza (1) || 31,092 || 5–4 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 10 || April 10 || Nationals || 4–6 || Corbin (1–2) || Davidson (0–1) || Finnegan (2) || 19,557 || 5–5 || L2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 11 || April 11 || Nationals || 2–0 || Ohtani (2–0) || Gray (0–3) || Estévez (1) || 27,390 || 6–5 || W1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 12 || April 12 || Nationals || 3–2 || Moore (1–0) || Thompson (0–1) || Quijada (2) || 17,780 || 7–5 || W2 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 13 || April 14 || @ Red Sox || 3–5 || Winckowski (1–0) || Herget (0–2) || Jansen (3) || 36,680 || 7–6 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 14 || April 15 || @ Red Sox || 7–9 || Brasier (1–0) || Tepera (1–1) || Jansen (4) || 36,594 || 7–7 || L2 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 15 || April 16 || @ Red Sox || 1–2 || Whitlock (1–1) || Detmers (0–1) || Brasier (1) || 34,790 || 7–8 || L3 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 16 || April 17 || @ Red Sox || 5–4 || Davidson (1–1) || Bello (0–1) || Estévez (2) || 34,942 || 8–8 || W1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 17 || April 18 || @ Yankees || 5–2 || Wantz (1–0) || Schmidt (0–1) || Quijada (3) || 37,883 || 9–8 || W2 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 18 || April 19 || @ Yankees || 2–3 || Hamilton (1–1) || Moore (1–1) || — || 38,131 || 9–9 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 19 || April 20 || @ Yankees || 3–9 || Cortés Jr. (3–0) || Sandoval (1–1) || — || 39,315 || 9–10 || L2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 20 || April 21 || Royals || 2–0 || Ohtani (3–0) || Yarbrough (0–2) || Quijada (4) || 44,741 || 10–10 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 21 || April 22 || Royals || 8–11 || Cuas (1–0) || Quijada (0–1) || Barlow (2) || 44,148 || 10–11 || L1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 22 || April 23 || Royals || 4–3 || Warren (1–0) || Lyles (0–4) || Estévez (3) || 36,016 || 11–11 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 23 || April 24 || Athletics || 10–11 || Oller (1–0) || Barría (1–1) || Familia (2) || 23,814 || 11–12 || L1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 24 || April 25 || Athletics || 5–3 || Canning (1–0) || Miller (0–1) || Estévez (4) || 26,971 || 12–12 || W1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 25 || April 26 || Athletics || 11–3 || Sandoval (2–1) || Medina (0–1) || — || 24,524 || 13–12 || W2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 26 || April 27 || Athletics || 8–7 || Ohtani (4–0) || Sears (0–2) || Estévez (5) || 21,741 || 14–12 || W3 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 27 || April 28 || @ Brewers || 1–2 || Strzelecki (2–0) || Loup (0–2) || Williams (4) || 24,787 || 14–13 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 28 || April 29 || @ Brewers || 5–7 || Burnes (3–1) || Detmers (0–2) || Williams (5) || 39,198 || 14–14 || L2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 29 || April 30 || @ Brewers || 3–0 || Suárez (1–1) || Rea (0–2) || Estévez (6) || 33,557 || 15–14 || W1

|- style="background:#bfb;" | 30 || May 2 || @ Cardinals || 5–1 || Sandoval (3–1) || Matz (0–4) || — || 37,048 || 16–14 || W2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 31 || May 3 || @ Cardinals || 6–4 || Tepera (2–1) || Gallegos (1–1) || Estévez (7) || 42,148 || 17–14 || W3 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 32 || May 4 || @ Cardinals || 11–7 || Canning (2–0) || Flaherty (2–4) || — || 40,508 || 18–14 || W4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 33 || May 5 || Rangers || 5–4 || Estévez (1–1) || Smith (0–2) || — || 39,073 || 19–14 || W5 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 34 || May 6 || Rangers || 1–10 || Eovaldi (4–2) || Detmers (0–3) || — || 37,409 || 19–15 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 35 || May 7 || Rangers || 8–16 || Sborz (1–1) || Suárez (1–2) || — || 41,641 || 19–16 || L2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 36 || May 8 || Astros || 6–4 || Moore (2–1) || Montero (0–2) || Estévez (8) || 26,064 || 20–16 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 37 || May 9 || Astros || 1–3 || Valdez (3–4) || Ohtani (4–1) || Pressly (5) || 29,018 || 20–17 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 38 || May 10 || Astros || 4–5 || Javier (3–1) || Canning (2–1) || Pressly (6) || 20,420 || 20–18 || L2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 39 || May 12 || @ Guardians || 5–4 || Moore (3–1) || Clase (1–3) || Estévez (9) || 22,550 || 21–18 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 40 || May 13 || @ Guardians || 6–8 || Morgan (2–0) || Tepera (2–2) || Stephan (2) || 27,644 || 21–19 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 41 || May 14 || @ Guardians || 3–4 || Karinchak (1–4) || Sandoval (3–2) || Clase (14) || 23,175 || 21–20 || L2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 42 || May 15 || @ Orioles || 9–5 || Ohtani (5–1) || Rodriguez (2–1) || — || 20,148 || 22–20 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 43 || May 16 || @ Orioles || 3–7 || Kremer (5–1) || Silseth (0–1) || — || 13,244 || 22–21 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 44 || May 17 || @ Orioles || 1–3 || Bradish (2–1) || Canning (2–2) || Bautista (11) || 15,702 || 22–22 || L2 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 45 || May 18 || @ Orioles || 6–5 || Devenski (1–0) || Baker (3–1) || Estévez (10) || 27,778 || 23–22 || W1 |- style="background:#bfb;" | 46 || May 19 || Twins || 5–4 || Weiss (1–0) || Jax (2–5) || Estévez (11) || 31,079 || 24–22 || W2 |- style="background:#fbb;"