Photo credit: @RyanDivish

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were established in 1961 as an American League franchise of Major League Baseball. Gene Autry, the singing cowboy and big time businessman, was their first owner. Since then, they were also owned by the Walt Disney Company.

On May 15, 2013, Mr. Arturo “Artie” Moreno bought the team and became the first Hispanic-American to own a Major League franchise, to date. Mr. Moreno is a very gracious man, and a huge baseball fan. Often, he comes up to our Fox Spanish broadcast booth at Angel Stadium and speaks in Spanish. He’s always optimistic and looking for his team to win. This season, the Angels will have the third largest and most modern screen in all of baseball.at Angel Stadium. Something that I know Mr.Moreno was looking forward as one of the improvements for fans at the Angels’ home park.

The previous year to Moreno buying the team in 2002, the Angels won the World Series. They are the last Major League franchise to win a World Series in the Los Angeles area. The Dodgers have not won one since 1988 (in 30 years), I was involved in the 1988 World Series, as I called it for the Oakland Athletics, who lost to the Dodgers. Later in life in 2002, I was doing the World Series for the San Francisco Giants, when they lost to the Angels. So I remember those two October Classics very well.

The Dodgers have been in LA longer, since 1958, when they moved from Brooklyn, New York, but the Angels were not born yesterday–actually just three years later than the Dodgers is when they first started play in Anaheim. In the Bay Area, the Giants get more recognition over the Athletics (who have won four World Series in Oakland)–one more than the Giants in San Francisco. Even when the A’s were winning, the media would cover the Giants much more. Yes, of course, San Francisco is known as the City by the Bay–a world destination and one of the world’s most visited cities, always glamorous. Since 2000, they’ve been playing at the beautiful AT&T Park.

While, across the bay to the east, Oakland has always been the forgotten team in Northern California. Giants moved into San Francisco in 1968 from New York, while the A’s moved to Oakland in 1968 from Kansas City.

Baseball always had these prejudices. For example in Chicago, the White Sox won a World Series in 2005, one million went to celebrate their victory parade. Then, in 2016, the Chicago Cubs–who at that time have not won in 100 years–won the World Series, and the estimate was between four to five million people turned to the streets around Grant Park in downtown Chicago, to celebrate their victory parade.

It is very interesting, how this developed in Southern California among the Dodgers and Angels. Sure, there are more people living in LA County than in Orange County, and that might be part of it. Like the SF Giants in Northern California, but in Southern California, the LA Dodgers are always on top of the LA Angels as far as media coverage and just about everything else.

The Angels also average over three million in attendance every season, but that doesn’t changes many minds when it comes to comparing these two Major League franchises.

Also, the Dodgers traditionally came from Brooklyn, a historical franchise who gave the first black man, Jackie Robinson, a chance in 1947. So there are many things that absolutely give the Dodgers advantage over the relatively young Angels franchise.

Who will win another World Series first? The Angels or the Dodgers?

That is a good question! The Dodgers own that Western Division of the National League, and they will be favorites again to win it, which will be the sixth straight. But as we can see, winning your division, or winning 100 or more games doesn’t guarantee much in today’s game.

The Angels are very well equipped this season. They kept slugger outfielder Justin Upton, signed Zack Cozart from the Reds to play third base and Ian Kinsler from the Tigers to play second base.

The Angels also acquired the youngest and newest sensation in baseball. Japanese two-way player, Shohei Othani, a young pitcher than can also hit home runs. A 6’4 right-handed pitcher with over 100 mph speed, who hits left and with power. He is the new phenom of the game.

I cannot predict a pennant. Who can in today’s game? But I can predict that the Angels right now this 2018 season starting in March, will have much more Japanese media outlets covering their games than the Dodgers. That is one thing where the Angels would be on top of the Dodgers. So at least now in Japan, the Angels will have top billing over the Dodgers, specially if they do not keep their Japanese free agent pitcher Yu Darvish.

さようなら= Sayonara.