Steven Taylor on Professional Baseball History in Los Angeles

 

Superhero Family Steven Taylor and family celebrate in Los Angeles

Superhero Family Steven Taylor and family celebrate in Los Angeles

The Greater Los Angeles area is home to a rich world of professional sports. LA is one of only four metropolitan areas in the country to boast two major league baseball teams, making the sport even more popular amongst Angelenos. In Los Angeles, we have the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League, and the Los Angeles Angels and in the American League. Southern California locals, like Steven Taylor Los Angeles native, take advantage of the weather and spend time at both Dodgers Stadium and Angels Stadium in Anaheim. Let’s take a look at the history of these two great teams and how they have impacted the LA area.

The Dodgers

Like a few other professional sports teams in Los Angeles, The Dodgers are transplants to the area. The team was originally founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1883, and adopted the team name “Dodgers” in 1932. Back in 1958, the team made the cross-country move to LA before their season, and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving into their long-term and current home, Dodger Stadium in 1962. The Dodgers are credited for leading the geographic expansion of baseball west of the Mississippi.

The Dodgers are a historically innovative team. Not only did they lead baseball to the west coast, they also broke the color barrier, with the first black athlete to play in the MLB, Jackie Robinson. The team played the first televised baseball game as well, and even were first to introduce the batting helmet.

The Dodgers have since won seven World Series and twenty-four National League pennants. The team boasts the record of eighteen Rookie of the Year Award winners, which is twice as many as the runner up. LA locals and fans like Steven Taylor are looking forward to the MLB All-Star Game, set to be hosted by the Dodgers, along with the Angels, in 2022.

The Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels are another pride point for Angelenos — the team was established as an expansion team in 1961 by Gene Autry. But, the team’s roots go deeper, with their very first appearance dating back to 1892, when the Los Angeles Seraphs began playing as part of the original California League. The following year, the team changed their name to the Angels, but many still referred to them as the Seraphs for quite some time.

Back in 1893, the Angels played at Athletic Park, where they made history with the Stockton Pirates as the first teams to play a night game on the West Coast. ( The Angels won the 9pm game, with a score of 5–2) The MLB didn’t hold a night game until years later in 1935.

In the beginning of the Gene Autry years, the Angels played home games at Los Angeles Wrigley Field, before moving in 1962 to Dodger Stadium where they were tenants of the Dodgers until 1965. They moved to their current home, Angel Stadium in Anaheim, in 1966. Despite the short drive, many people from Los Angeles like Steven Taylor are happy to head to Anaheim to support the LA team.

The Angels won their only American League pennant and World Series by defeating the San Francisco Giants in 2002. The team has a variety of other awards including MVP awards, CY Young Awards, and Rookie of the Year winners.

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