Inside Angel Stadium

The California sun really shines in Anaheim on their Angels…..the ones who play baseball, that is. Angel Stadium, known as the “Big A” opened in 1966, is the fourth-oldest ballpark in baseball, and yet it has stood the test of time! 

Get to your seats well enough to watch the in-game entertainment intro to “Calling All Angels” by Train.  The way it’s edited and presented will give you chills.    

But to get there early, you have to navigate Orange County traffic, and the parking lot is HUGE!  It could take 25-30 minutes from the time you pull into the parking lot, park the car and get into your seats!  

As you enter from behind home plate, you are greeted with the two biggest Angels hats the entire world has to offer, making it almost worth the long walk to the turnstiles.  If you enter from the right field entrance just off the 57 Freeway, you will see the 230-foot tall, 210-ton “Big A” sign with the halo on top!  It’s old, yes, but it’s pretty damn cool, too!  It lights up after each Angels win, and you cannot miss it.  Great meeting spot for a pregame drink, too!  

I once worked a no-hitter there as the TV reporter for the Twins.  Jered Weaver spun a real gem on May 2nd, 2012, and his catcher was Chris Iannetta that night.   It was real cool to see in person, despite it being against the team I was working with.  Speaking of, I’d like to tell you how access works for TV reporters that work live game broadcasts.  

If the game is NOT on national TV, the reporter of the team throwing the no-hitter will always get the pitcher that just did it.  Then if that team’s radio broadcast has a field reporter, they will possibly get the pitcher as well.  The other side usually gets the catcher, or another relevant player from the game.  In my case, I was fortunate enough to have Iannetta join us for a few minutes to talk about the no-no he just caught.   You get some real insider access to what is most likely the greatest individual moment of that pitcher’s career.  If you’re REALLY into baseball, let me say this was the coolest part of my job. The emotions are still high, the players are still dripping sweat off their jerseys and catcher’s gear, and here we are, trying to pick their brain to get the fans the best possible quotes on what they just watched from the mouth of those who just did it.  You can ask what pitches they called and why that pitcher’s stuff was so dominant.  

It is the biggest rush an in-game TV reporter can experience.  I was fortunate to work three of them (Francisco Liriano’s gem in 2011 and Max Scherzer’s near-PG, as he made the last out that game) and I’ll never forget it.  It’s a shame Mike Witt’s perfect game came at the old Arlington Stadium.    

Anyways, check out the rock pile in the outfield. Water shoots from the cannons, fireworks as well, all thanks to Disney’s Imagination.   The vibe is super chill.  The team has had star after star after star, yet somehow hasn’t managed to win a playoff in Mike Trout’s entire career!  In fact, he’s only played in three playoff games, with just one hit….a homer, of course! Crazy!  He was drafted 25th overall in 2009 out of high school and made his debut just over two years later and became a hall of fame player!  He alone is worth the price of admission! 

The team may frustrate the home fans from time to time, but the place is neat, it’s always sunny and they’ve had some of the best players MLB has ever seen wear an Angels jersey (Nolan, Trout and Ohtani).  The parking lot is huge and there isn’t a famous bar for a postgame drink or sandwich, but you’ll enjoy some great baseball tradition of a team that gets much less attention than their neighbors 31 miles north up the 5!  

SCENIC – One of the calmest views of a stadium can be found in Anaheim!  The sun is always shining and there’s barely a cloud in the sky.  In the distance you can see the Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks, sitting just across the 57 Freeway. 

The Big A Sign – Standing 230 feet tall and weighing in at 210 tons, the “Big A” sign in the parking can be seen easily by cars riding along the 57 freeway.  It also serves as a nice spot to meet friends for a tailgate drink before/after games.  

Pujols Home Run Counter – Hitting 222 of his 703 career home runs in an Angels uniform, Albert Pujols had his own counter in the outfield at Angel Stadium.   Pujols his career home runs #446 to #667 with the Angels. 

The Rock Pile – Nicknamed the “California Spectacular”, the rock pile is full of shooting water cannons, geysers and fireworks! The Disney creation has significantly enhanced the fan experience at Angels games. 

Trout Farm – Just inside the left field foul pole is the “Trout Farm”, where fans of the Angels slugger wore trout hats and shirts and held up large cutouts of Mike Trout, largely considered the greatest player in Angels history.

A Grand Entrance – The two biggest Angels hats in the world are at the Home Plate Gate at Angel Stadium.  They are 649.5” in size. 

The Skinny Stairwell – It’s not only one of the longest walks from a clubhouse to a field in Major League Baseball, but also may have the skinniest stairwell (Besides Boston, maybe)!  Players, coaches and staff walk down this tunnel, then make a left, quick right and up a few more stairs to the visiting dugout.

Tyler Skaggs, RIP – Tribute on the outfield wall at Angel Stadium in honor of Tyler Skaggs, a pitcher who suddenly passed away on July 1st, 2019 in Southlake, Texas, at the age of 27.  The Rangers were getting ready to host the Angels in a game that evening.  Skaggs was in his 7th big leagues season and 5th with the Angels.  

The Two Biggest SoCal Baseball Stars – Mike Trout begins to swing at a pitch during an August, 2019 game against the Pirates as arguably the only superstar bigger than him waits on deck – Shohei Ohtani.

The Visitor’s Dugout – Complete with front and back benches, the visiting team’s dugout provides plenty of space for opponents of the Angels. 

The Hoop in the Rockpile – Grounds crews around MLB work countless hours for not enough credit and pay for what they provide baseball fans.  Shooting a few hoops here and there is a nice little breather during a long, hot baseball season for the folks that make Angel Stadium as beautiful as it is.

Looking Along the Outfield Wall - From inside the left field foul pole on the warning track, the view across Angel Stadium makes for a great photo, with a fresh field and a calm, clear sky!