The
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a
professional baseball team based in
Anaheim,
California,
United States. The Angels are a member of the
Western Division of
Major League Baseball's
American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started,
Los Angeles. The Angels have been based in
Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966, but the baseball team name originated in Los Angeles since 1892 in the California and Pacific Coast League before the MLB expansion to the west coast in 1958. The Angels franchise of today was established in the MLB in 1961 through former owner
Gene Autry, the team’s first Major League owner who bought the rights to continue the franchise name from Walter O'Malley, the former
Los Angeles Dodgers owner who acquired the franchise from Phil Wrigley, the owner of the
Chicago Cubs at the time. The true birth of the team name in existence of baseball stems from the year 1892, making them the first Los Angeles sports team in history due to the continuity of the name in professional baseball, and by having the rights to the name, "Los Angeles Angels," bought and transferred from franchise owners. MLB considers the current Los Angeles Angels franchise an expansion team because the team did not exist in the major leagues until 1961.