From the Archives: Angels’ small beginnings

The Twins beat the Angels, 4-2, in front of a small, opening day crowd of 11,931. The expansion American League Los Angeles Angels drew 603,510 fans during their first season.

The next morning, the Los Angeles Times’ Braven Dyer wrote:

It was the first American League game ever played on the West Coast and came only four months after Gene Autry, Bob Reynolds and Leonard Firestone received their franchise.…

”....A disappointing and disappointed crowd of 11, 931 fans saw the Angels leave 10 men stranded as the Twins came up with three fast double plays to help Camilo Pascual, the Cuban chucker, register his second win of the season without defeat.

The next season found the Angels in Chavez Ravine, sharing the new stadium with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Angels found their real home and fan base with their 1966 move to Anaheim. Today, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim annually draw more than 3 million fans and won the 2002 World Series and in 2014 won the American League West title.

This post originally was published on Sep. 17, 2010.

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