Area of fair territory: 110,000 sq. ft.

Area of foul territory: Average

Fences: LF foul pole to RCF - 8 ft

            RCF to RF foul pole - 18 ft

Elevation: 160 feet

Tenant: Anaheim Angels (AL)
Opened: April 19, 1966
Construction began: August 31,1964
Surface: Bluegrass

Architect: HOK Sport (Kansas City, 1997-99 renovations)
Construction: Del E. Webb Company (1966); Turner Construction Company (1997-99 renovations)
Owner: City of Anaheim
Cost: $24 million (1966); $118 million (1997-99 renovations)
Lease: 33 year lease signed in 1996

History

   The expansion Los Angeles Angels came to the City of Angels about three years too late - the much more talented Dodgers had moved in in 1958 and won the Series in 1959.  The Angels played in L.A. Wrigley - a too-small, carbon-copy of Chicago's Wrigley Field - in 1961, but the seating capacity of 20,457 was inadequate for the major leagues. From 1962 to 1965, they shared Dodger Stadium with their popular rivals, then moved 30 miles away to Anaheim stadium - or the "Big A" - in 1966.

   The City of Anaheim broke ground broke in 1964, and the new ballpark was ready for the opening game of the 1966 season; the Los Angeles Angels changed their name to the California Angels and drew a first-game crowd of 31,660.  Still, they continue to play second fiddle to the Dodgers - every year since, the Dodgers have drawn more fans.

   In 1979, renovation changed the stadium into a completely enclosed, multipurpose facility, suitable for both professional football and baseball.  The capacity was expanded to over 64,000 so the Los Angeles Rams could play there, and a new state-of-the-art video scoreboard was added.

   When the Walt Disney Co. bought a stake in the Angels in 1996, they made several major changes.  First, the team name changed from the California Angles to the Anaheim Angels for he 1997 season; the team logo was also red-designed to match the logo of the team in the Disney film Angels in the Outfield.  The stadium was changed as well; renovations began on Oct. 1, 1996 , and altered the stadium back to a baseball-only facility.  The new name was announced on Sept. 15, 1997: Edison International Field of Anaheim (the energy company paid $2.5 million a year for the naming rights for 20 years).  The renovations were extremely expensive, running to $118 million; new features included terraced bullpens in the outfield, widened concourses, new restrooms and concession area, and state-of-the-art club-level and dugout-level suites. In addition, Edison has three full-service restaurants.  

Edison International Field Firsts
Game - April 1, 1998 (Angels defeated Yankees, 4-1)
Pitch - Chuck Finley threw strike to Chuck Knoblauch at 8:31 pm
Batter - Chuck Knoblauch
Hit - Dave Hollins
Double - Norberto Martin
Triple - Matt Walbeck
Homerun - Dave Hollins
Grandslam - Darin Erstad
Two-Homerun Game - Brian Giles
Victory - Chuck Finley
Save - Troy Percival
Error - Travis Fryman

Location

Anaheim, California. The left field, to the north, borders on Katella Avenue; third base (W) borders on 2000 State College Boulevard, then Interstate 5; first base (S) looks out on Orangewood Avenue, then on the Santa Ana River. The right field wall angles past the I-5 freeway, and center field (NE) overlooks the Amtrak Railroad Station.

Capacity - History

1966: 43,204

1979: 64,593

1997: 33,851

1998: 45,050

Dimensions - History

Left field and Right field foul lines: 333 (1966), 330 (1997)

Bullpens: 362 (until 1997) - after 1998, the bullpens were moved from behind the wall 10 yards inside each foul pole to behind the left field wall.

Power Alleys: 375 (1966), 369 (1973), 374 (1974), 370 (1989), 365 (1998)

Deep Alleys: 386 (1966), 395 (1998)

Center Field: 406 (1966), 402 (1973), 404 (1974), 406 (1998)

Backstop: 55 (1966), 60.5 (1973).

Foul territory: average.

Analysis

   The renovations in 1998 made this an entirely different ballpark.  Knocking out the center field stands and adding an 18-foot wall in right did several things - it put the wind in play, and it reduced the park's proclivity for the long ball.  What was a huge home run park (Anaheim Stadium boosted home run production by almost 20% from 1993 to 1997) now plays mostly neutral. 

Defense:    The quirks of the ballpark's asymmetrical outfield configuration puts a premium on defense - although the Angels lost Gold-Glover Jim Edmonds, they boast a terrific defensive outfield corps.  Darin Erstad is a Gold-Glover himself, and Garrett Anderson and Tim Salmon are capable fielders.

   The error index for infielders has been a little high in years past; in part, this is due to the youth of the Angel's infielders: around Gary DiSarcina, they have error-prone Troy Glaus and Adam Kennedy.  And Mo Vaughn (when he played here) played 1B like a DH.  Infielders used to complain about the poor infield conditions prior to the 1996-7 renovations, but the well-manicured surface is now a pleasure to play on.

Who benefits: Left-handed power hitters like to play pepper with the wall in right.  The wind gusts in from right-center, so the park may hurt left-handed power hitters while boosting right-handed hitters who like to go long.  Interestingly enough, the park reduced LHR by 24 percent in 1998; both Garrett Anderson and Jim Edmonds suffered, hitting 7 fewer dingers at home than on the road.  But in 1999 it boosted LHR by 41 percent - the top mark in the AL.  In the past two years, it has played neutral for lefties, but given righties a considerable boost. 

Who gets hurt: No one in particular.  Right-handed power hitters who like to pull the ball may have difficulty with the quick slant the wall takes to deep CF, but the Angels' right-handed power duo - Troy Glaus and Tim Salmon - managed to do just fine, hitting 41 HR at home and 40 HR on the road.

Park Factors

© 2001 STATS, Inc.

Seating Chart

Fun Facts

• Second-highest RHB home run factor in the AL in 2000
• Third-highest infield error factor in the AL in 2000
• Second-lowest triple factor in the AL in 2000
• Highest LHB home run factor in the AL in 1999
• Third highest walk factor in the AL in 1999

• Prior to 1980, a 230-foot-high version of the team's logo - a Red capital "A" with a gold halo above - stood behind the fence in left field as a scoreboard support.  It was moved into the parking lot.
• Wind usually helps the right-handed batters, gusting in from over the right-center wall and giving a small lift to balls hit to left.
• The "Outfield Extravaganza" is located in the center field bleachers.  It is the signature piece of the ballpark, featuring a 90-foot geyser and a rock formation that is designed to model the rocky California coastline.