June 14, 2021
Whilst California might be the largest of the states in the United States of America, it is also one of the most enthusiastic about sports.
Indeed, whilst there is obviously the space for a number of sports teams to be based on the west coast, there is also history of a number of franchises that have moved from one location to the ‘Golden State’ with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL one such franchise (let’s ignore that fact that the Las Vegas Raiders were once of Oakland, shall we?).
However, this article is not about the NFL and the teams that play in California, but rather it is about the Californian teams that are playing in Major League Baseball.
The sport of baseball is incredibly popular in the Golden State, with the west coast having a number of baseball clubs at all levels, with local college teams such as the Cerritos Falcons all the way to the Minor League such as the San Jose Giants.
When taking a look at the teams in the MLB system, though, some of the biggest franchises are based in California, with many of them having a rich history within the sport and having a reputation that has made them known throughout the world.
There are a total of five different MLB franchises that are currently located on the west coast, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants.
Here is some of the key information about each of the teams:
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the biggest MLB franchises to have existed, with the team proving to be rather successful and popular with fans. Indeed, with a total of six world championships including as recently as the 2020 title, they have become an incredibly popular option for those who are sports betting on the potential winners of the 2021 World Series, as bookmakers have also listed them amongst one of the favorites to win the title.
The Dodgers play their matches in Los Angeles and have been based at the Dodgers Stadium ever since 1962, having made a move from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The team is one of many that were not initially based on the west coast, though, as they made the switch from the east coast as they were once known as the Brooklyn Dodgers (among other names). They completed their move from New York in 1958 and have been able to win all of their World Series championships ever since being based in the west.
Los Angeles Angels
Baseball fans that are based in Los Angeles – and of course, elsewhere – have a couple of choices to choose from when supporting a team from LA, with the Angels an option. The franchise have not been as successful as their city counterparts, with just their 2002 World Championship victory the sole one so far.
The franchise are based in Anaheim and were an expansion franchise that were formed in 1961 who have played their MLB matches at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. They have had various names in the past, but have been known as they are now since 2015.
Oakland Athletics
It was mentioned how Oakland had lost a professional sports team recently, however they gained a MLB franchise back in 1968 after the franchise decided to leave Kansas City and relocate here; changing their name from the Kansas City Athletics to the Oakland Athletics in the process.
The franchise have won four World Championships in their history, with these victories all having been achieved since being in California, although their last was back in 1989. They play their games at RingCentral Coliseum.
San Diego Padres
Yet to have won an MLB World Series, the San Diego Padres are a baseball side that look likely to win a World Series in the near future. The franchise was an expansion side that were formed in 1969 and play their matches at Petco Park, having moved to the venue in 2004 after playing at the San Diego Stadium for the first part of their history.
San Francisco Giants
It should be common knowledge that the San Francisco Giants were once based in New York, however they have been based in San Francisco since 1958 and have been playing their MLB contests at Oracle Park since 2000 and have been able to acquire three World Championships in the last decade, with wins in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
