The Angels have a number of rivals both inside and outside of their division. The New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and their postseason history versus the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers are among them.
The Texas Rangers Rivalry
The Angels-Rangers rivalry is reported to have grown because of the two clubs’ dominance in the division, as well as greater enmity in recent years owing to players who have played for both teams, such as Nolan Ryan, Mike Napoli, Darren Oliver, Vladimir Guerrero, C. J. Wilson, and Josh Hamilton.
Wilson made a prank on his former teammate Napoli in 2012 by tweeting his phone number, prompting Napoli to exchange words with Wilson. The squabbles stem from two incidences in which Angels’ second baseman Adam Kennedy and Rangers catcher Gerald Laird exchanged fists.
Both the Angels and the Rangers have pitched perfect games against each other, making them the only MLB clubs to accomplish it. Mike Witt of the Angels threw a perfect game against the Rangers in Arlington Stadium in 1984, while Kenny Rogers of the Rangers pitched a perfect game against the Angels in 1994.
The Los Angeles Dodgers Rivalry
Because of the highway connection (primarily via I-5) that connects the two clubs’ home stadiums, the rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been dubbed the Freeway Series.
Similar to the Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox rivalry, the San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics rivalry, the Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals rivalry or the New York Mets vs. New York Yankees rivalry, the Freeway Series rivalry arose from the two teams sharing similar regions and fans being split due to neighboring counties.
