The Angels–Rangers rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) divisional rivalry played between the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers as both teams play in the American League West Division. The rivalry has been said to have developed over a domination in the division between the two teams, and also in recent years more animosity between the two teams due to multiple players who have played for both, including Nolan Ryan, Mike Napoli, Darren Oliver, Vladimir Guerrero, C. J. Wilson, and Josh Hamilton. Both teams often fought for control of the division, primarily during the 2000s and 2010s though both teams entered the present decade fighting for relevance as neither side has appeared in the postseason since 2016. The Angels and Rangers have each pitched a perfect game against each other, making them the only pair of MLB teams to have done so. Mike Witt pitched a perfect game for the Angels against the Rangers in 1984 at Arlington Stadium and Kenny Rogers for the Rangers against the Angels in 1994. Both teams have yet to face each other in the postseason, the Angels currently lead the series all time 513–493.[5][6]
| First meeting | May 5, 1961[1] Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California Senators 6, Angels 2 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | September 29, 2024[1] Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California Rangers 8, Angels 0 |
| Next meeting | April 15, 2025 Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas |
| Stadiums | Angels: Angel Stadium Rangers: Globe Life Field |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 1,006[2] |
| Most wins | Angels |
| Regular season series | Angels, 513–493 (.510)[1] |
| Largest victory | |
| Longest win streak | |
| Current win streak | Rangers, 5[1] |
History
editWhen the original Washington Senators announced their move to Minnesota to become the Twins in 1961, Major League Baseball decided to expand a year earlier than planned to stave off the twin threats of competition from the proposed Continental League and loss of its exemption from the Sherman Antitrust Act. As part of the expansion, the American League added two expansion teams for the 1961 season–the Los Angeles Angels and a new Washington Senators team. The new Senators and Angels began competing to fill their rosters with American League players in an expansion draft. Following an apathetic fan response in Washington, owner Bob Short would relocate the Rangers to Arlington in 1972, while the Angels managed to move into a new ballpark in 1966. Both teams struggled mightily in their first 2 decades as expansion teams, though both would tie for second place in 1978. The Angels would not appear in the postseason until 1979, while the Rangers would not make a postseason appearance until 1996. Both teams were tied for second place of the division in 1998, however; the Angels would lose 2/4 games against the Athletics and find themselves swept by the Rangers for the final two games of the season, eliminating them from playoff contention. The Rangers would find themselves swept in both 1998 and 1999 by the Yankees, then fail to make a playoff appearance from 2000 to 2010, eventually making back-to-back appearances in both the 2010, and 2011 World Series.[7][8][9] Meanwhile the Angels managed a shocking appearance in the 2002 World Series, beating the San Francisco Giants and securing the franchise's first and only World Series title, though they would begin to struggle mightily under new owner Arte Moreno as the team found themselves losing three times to the Boston Red Sox in 2004, 2007, and 2008. Though the Angels would also manage an appearance in the 2009 ALCS, they would fall to the Yankees in six games. In 2012, then-Angels' pitcher C.J. Wilson played a practical joke on his former Rangers teammate Mike Napoli by tweeting his phone number. Enraged, Napoli began to exchange words with Wilson during the pregame warmups on May 19.[10] The feuds go back to two incidents between Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy and Rangers catcher Gerald Laird trading insults, leading to benches clearing in a brawl between both teams.[11][12][13] The Rangers managed two more appearances in the ALDS, but lost both times to the Toronto Blue Jays.[14][15] The Angels have not posted a winning season since they appeared in the 2014 ALDS in which they were swept by the Kansas City Royals, meanwhile the Rangers managed a return to the postseason in 2023 after seven years out of contention. In 2023, the Rangers would win their first World Series, ending a 63-year drought.[16][17]
Season-by-season results
edit| Angels vs. Rangers Season-by-Season Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1960s (Senators, 80–76)
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1970s (Senators/Rangers, 79–77)
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1980s (Angels, 68–55)
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1990s (Angels, 63–61)
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2000s (Angels, 100–83)
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2010s (Tie, 95–95)
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2020s (Rangers, 40–34)
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Summary of Results
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Connections between the teams
edit| Name | Position(s) | Angels' tenure | Rangers' tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Guerrero | Right Fielder | 2004–2009 | 2010 |
| Josh Hamilton | Outfielder | 2013–2014 | 2008–2012, 2015 |
| Mike Napoli | First Baseman/Catcher | 2006–2010 | 2011–2012, 2015, 2017 |
| Darren Oliver | Pitcher | 2007–2009 | 1993–1998 2000–2001 2010–2011 |
| Nolan Ryan | Pitcher | 1972–1979 | 1989–1993 |
| C. J. Wilson | Pitcher | 2012–2015 | 2005–2011 |
See also
editReferences
edit- Inline citations
- ^ a b c d e f "Head-to-Head Records — Los Angeles Angels, California Angels, Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Washington Senators and Texas Rangers from 1961 to 2024". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ "MLB : Series records : Los Angeles Angels(H) vs Texas Rangers(A)". mcubed.net. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ "Los Angeles Angels vs Washington Senators Box Score: August 23, 1963". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Texas Rangers vs California Angels Box Score: June 17, 1993". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "MLB Rivalries: Why L.A. Angels/Texas Rangers Is Better Than Boston/New York".
- ^ "Angels-Rangers talk about rivalry".
- ^ "Top 12 Moments in Angels-Rangers rivalry".
- ^ "Angels, Rangers renew rivalry".
- ^ "Rangers-Angels could be budding rivalry".
- ^ "C.J. Wilson, Mike Napoli Twitter Feud: Angels Pitcher Tweets Phone Number Of Rangers Catcher". Huffington Post. AOL. March 19, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ Grant, Evan (May 11, 2012). "Rangers-Angels rivalry: How did we get here?". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ "Angels-Rangers: a nice little developing rivalry".
- ^ "One legend rises above blood feud of Rangers-Angels rivalry".
- ^ "Hamilton's return adds spice to Angels-Rangers rivalry".
- ^ "Angels' poaching of Josh Hamilton for $125M escalates rivalry with the Rangers".
- ^ "Rangers renew rivalry with Angels".
- ^ "ex gm Jim Bowden: Rangers-Angels rivalry has become as big as Yankees-Red Sox".