Anaheim Stadium

Lore & Background

The stadium was built on a parcel of about 160 acres of flat land originally used for agricultural purposes. The landmark 'Big A' sign, originally a scoreboard support in left field, is now located near the eastern boundary of the parking lot. The halo atop the sign once blinked after Angels wins; since at least the 2023 season, the halo remains lit at all times, shining brighter when the Angels win. The stadium hosted the MLB All-Star Game three times (1967, 1989, 2010) and the World Series in 2002. It has also hosted concerts by The Who, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, and the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan, as well as the AMA Supercross Championship since 1976, Billy Graham crusades, Harvest Crusades, and Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

In Their Own Story

October 2002. The seventh game of the World Series. The scoreboard reads 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, and the Angels are trailing. You are in the upper deck, three rows back from the railing, your fingers white-knuckled around a plastic cup of beer you stopped tasting an hour ago. The crowd is a single held breath, forty thousand people suspended in the same impossible moment. Then the crack of the bat—sharp, almost violent against the quiet—and the ball sailing into the dark Southern California sky. The roar that follows is not a sound. It is a physical force, a wall of noise that hits your chest and shakes the railing. Strangers are hugging. A kid two rows ahead is on his father's shoulders, screaming a name you don't even recognize. You are crying and you don't care. The Halo is real. It is here. It is yours.

Reader's Guide

Angel Stadium and its surrounding parking lot are roughly bounded by Katella Avenue to the north, the Orange Freeway to the east, Orangewood Avenue to the south, and State College Boulevard to the west. The ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center), servicing the Metrolink Orange County Line and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, is located nearby on the other side of State Route 57 and accessed through the Douglass Road gate at the northeast corner of the parking lot. The stadium houses the studios and offices of the Angels' flagship radio station, KLAA (830 AM).

Did You Know?

• The stadium's unofficial nickname 'The Big A' was coined by Herald Examiner Sports Editor Bud Furillo.
• The field dimensions (333 feet) were derived from a scientific study by the Angels to balance pitcher, hitter, and weather conditions.
• Nolan Ryan threw two of his seven no-hitters at this ballpark, along with 2,416 of his 5,714 career strikeouts.
• The stadium was originally named Anaheim Stadium, then changed to Edison International Field in 1997, and to Angel Stadium following the 2003 season.