The big offseason trade let all-time Angel great Clyde Wright go, along with Steve Barber, Ken Berry, Art Kusnyer and cash to the then-American League Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Ellie Rodriguez, Skip Lockwood, Gary Ryerson, Ollie Brown and Joe Lahoud. Ryerson would languish in the minor leagues and Brown would be sold to the Astros at the end of Spring Training. Two of the three remaining new Angels would debut on Opening Day.

244. Denny Doyle
245. Ellie Rodriguez
246. Joe Lahoud
247. Dick Selma

Opening Day 1974 was on April 5 at old Comiskey Park in Chicago, where new Angel Second Baseman Denny Doyle, acquired from Philadelphia in December, batted 2nd and grounded out in the first inning. Catcher Ellie Rodriguez was on the receiving end of opening day starter Nolan Ryan. Joe Lahoud debuted as an Angel as a pinch runner for Bobby Valentine in the 7th inning and scored the go ahead run to make it 3-2 before the game became an 8-2 laugher with Dick Selma pitching the 9th inning in pleasant mop-up relief. Skip Lockwood would pitch an inning of scoreless relief on April 7 while Ed Figueroa pitched 2 innings of scoreless relief in the home opener on April 9.

248. Skip Lockwood
249. Ed Figueroa
250. Bill Stoneman

Pitcher Bill Stoneman was sold to the Angels just before the 1974 season began. His Angel debut was as the starter in a Wednesday Night game on April 17 at Anaheim Stadium. He would not factor into the decision of that evening's win, but would factor into the team's greatest era when he became its General Manager a quarter-century later.

251. Morris Nettles
252. Bill Gilbreth
253. John Cumberland
254. John Doherty
255. Barry Raziano

4th outfielder Morris Nettles entered the April 26 game as a defensive replacement to start the bottom of the 7th inning. Pitcher Bill Gibreth took over in relief in the 9th inning of a May 5 contest and allowed a sac fly to John Lowenstein to score George Hendrick with the tying run. John Cumberland got a strikeout of the only batter he faced in his debut game as an Angel debut late in the fame on May 29. John Doherty started at First Base on June 1, going 0 for 2 with a walk. We had traded Vada Pinson to the Royals in the offseason for pitcher Barry Raziano, whose 3 innings of relief on June 6 yielded but 1 earned run. Utility infielder Orlando Ramirez played his entire career with the Angels, from 1974-79, appearing in 143 games as he shuttled back and forth between AAA and the big club. He was 0 for 2 with flawless defense as the starting shortstop on July 6.

256. Orlando Ramirez
257. Luis Quintana
258. Bruce Bochte
259. Horacio Pina
260. Bob Heise

Pitcher Luis Quintana faced one batter on July 9 in relief in his major league debut: future Hall-of-Famer Boog Powell, who hit a sacrifice fly to plate the go-ahead run for the Orioles. Bruce Bochte, the Angels' 2nd round pick from the 1972 draft, was a pinch runner for Bob Oliver on July 19 in his major league debut under the Halo. Pitcher Horacio Pina was traded by the Cubs to the Angels on July 28 and made his Angel debut in relief on August 1 with the Angels ahead by 1 and a man on first with 1 out. He promptly struck out future Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew before surrendering a two-run home and earning the loss. A July 31 trade delivered infielder Bob Heise to the Angels. He started at 2B on August 3. Veteran pitcher Ken Sanders was released by the Indians in June and signed by the Angels in July. He pitched 2 innings of scoreless relief in his Angel debut at home on August 13. He would be traded for Ike Hampton the following Spring.

261. Ken Sanders
262. Orlando Pena
263. Chuck Dobson
264. John Balaz
265. Don Kirkwood

On September 5, the Cardinals traded pitcher Orlando Pena to the Angels for a player to be named later. Pena came on in relief of Frank Tanana who was hit by a line drive with one out in the top of the 9th, leaving a man on 1st with a 2-run lead. Pena got the save. The Mexico City Tigers sold starting pitcher Chuck Dobson to the Angels mid-season and the veteran made his Angel debut with a Complete Game shutout of the Rangers in the first game of a doubleheader at home. Backup outfielder John Balaz made his major league debut pinch hitting for Bruce Bochte at home on September 10. The Royals changed pitchers and Balaz was lifted for a pinch hitter himself. He played in 14 games that year and was later part of the trade with Boston that yielded pitcher Dick Drago. The final debut of the year, pitcher Don Kirkwood, had an awesome major league debut - he struck out Jorge Orta and then Ellie Rodriguez picked Bucky Dent off of 3B to end the inning. It was one of the lone highlights in the awful last-place 68-94 1974 campaign.

Shuffled
There was a big trade in the offseason - 5 Dodgers for 2 Angels:
November 28, 1972: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers: Bill Singer, Billy Grabarkewitz, Frank Robinson, Mike Strahler, and Bobby Valentine to the California Angels for Andy Messersmith and Ken McMullen.

Three of those players would debut on opening day at the Big A.

226. Billy Grabarkewitz
227. Bobby Valentine
228. Frank Robinson
229. Tommy McCraw

Opening Day was a Friday night game against division rival Kansas City. Nolan Ryan pitched a 6-hit, 2-run complete game, striking out 12 and recording the W in a 3-2 Halo triumph. In the bottom of the first, new Angels Third Baseman Billy Grabarkewitz and Bobby Valentine each grounded out to First Base as the team's first two hitters. Leading off the bottom of the 2nd inning, in his first plate appearance as an Angel, Frank Robinson hit a homerun. He was followed in the lineup by Tommy McCraw, who had just been traded to the Angels from the Indians in exchange for Leo Cardenas. McCraw was the first Designated Hitter in Angels history. In his first at-bat, following Robinson, Tommy set the tone for many an Angels DH and struck out looking.

230. Terry Wilshusen
231. Ron Perranoski

In the 2nd game of the season, the single worst pitching career, ERA-wise, in Angels history occurred. 24 year old Terry Wilshusen was the 3rd reliever in the game. The Angels were down by 3 and it was the top of the 8th. In his major league debut and the only game in which he would ever appear in the bigs, Wilshusen loaded the bases while only getting one out. He was relieved by Ron Perranoski, who had been signed by the Angels on opening day following his release by the Dodgers. Perranoski allowed all three of Wilshusen's baserunners to score and tacked on one more for himself. Terry Wilshusen had a career ERA of 81.00. Perranoski would appear in 8 games with the Angels the final team on which he was a player n the big leagues.

232. Bill Singer
233. Jerry DaVanon
234. Al Gallagher

4 out of the first 6 Angels to debut in 1973 had been members of the 1972 Dodgers. The 4th was Pitcher Bill Singer, who took the mound on Tuesday, April 10 at home against the Twins in front of 6,319 fans. He struck out 10 and got a complete game victory. Utility infielder Jerry DaVanon debuted on April 13 late in the game playing 3B. The Angels traded for third Baseman Al Gallagher on April 14 and he made his debut with the club on April 17, going 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

The Angels made a big trade on May 20. They sent Jim Spencer and Lloyd Allen to the Rangers for three players, each of whom would debut within the following two months.

235. Mike Epstein
236. Bobby Brooks
237. Rich Hand
238. Richie Scheinblum
239. Rick Stelmaszek

The first debut from the Texas trade was First Baseman Mike Epstein, who went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts and an error on May 22 in Comiskey Park. The next night, May 23, offseason acquisition Bobby Brooks pinch-hit in the 9th inning, reaching 2nd on a two base error by White Sox Right Fielder Pat Kelly. On May 26, pitcher Rich Hand made the Rangers look like geniuses at County Stadium in Milwaukee, giving up 3 earned runs in 2 innings for his Angel debut. The Angels traded Terry "Mister 81.00 ERA" Wilshusen to the Cincinnati Reds on June 15 for Richie Scheinblum. The veteran outfielder made the Angels look like geniuses as he homered in his 2nd at-bat as an Angel on June 16. A month later, on July 17, the final player acquired in the Texas trade made his debut - catcher Rick Stelmaszek was hitless in his Angel debut, but caught a complete game from Clyde Wright.

240. Aurelio Monteagudo
241. Dave Chalk
242. Charlie Sands

Mop-up man Aurelio Monteagudo made his Angel debut on July 22. He pitched two scoreless innings of a blowout loss. In 15 appearances as an Angel, he finished 10 games. The team's first round pick of 1972, Dave Chalk, debuted at Shortstop on September 4. It was his first of 732 games in an Angels uniform. The same game saw the debut of Charlie Sands as a pinch hitter. The 5th Dodger acquired in the Messersmith trade, Mike Strahler, never played for the Angels. He was traded April 19 to the Tigers for Sands. With men on 2nd and 3rd, two outs in the ninth and the Angels trailing by one run, Sands grounded out to end the game.

243. Frank Tanana

While he would go on to be the thing of Angels legends, Frank Tanana's debut as an Angel on Septemebr 9 ended after 4 innings and 4 earned runs. He was, fortunately, not included in any trades any time soon.

The Angels wasted no time turning their backs on 1971 as they traded Alex Johnson and Jerry Moses to the Indians for Vada Pinson and Alan Foster on October 5. But the big trade of the off-season was one of the most lopsided in baseball history, and certainly the best return on a trade the club has ever got. They traded veteran Jim Fregosi to the Mets. Fregosi was only 30 years old. In return they got Don Rose and Frank Estrada. These two would have scant impact on the team. But they also got Leroy Stanton, who would be a mainstay of the outfield for five solid seasons. Now, at this point the trade is a win for the Angels, a big win. But what makes it the slaughter of the half-century is that the Angels got yet a FOURTH player in exchange for Fregosi. The player was Nolan Ryan. The rest is history.

On February 9, Angel infielder Chico Ruiz died in a car crash in San Diego. He was 33. The Angels had already acquired veteran Shortstop Leo Cardenas for Dave LaRoche a few days prior to trading Fregosi, so it is uncertain which veteran would have had the playing time, although Cardenas was by far the more seasoned major leaguer. Cardenas batted 3rd in the Angels opening day lineup.

211. Leo Cardenas
212. Vada Pinson
213. Leroy Stanton

In the same game, new Angels Vada Pinson batted 6th and Leroy Stanton 7th. None were involved in the only score of the game, a 9th inning wild pitch that scored Sandy Alomar from 3rd base. A walk-off wild pitch.

214. Nolan Ryan

In his Angel debut on the night of Tuesday, April 18, in front of 5,191 fans at the Big A, Nolan Ryan pitched a 4-hit shutout of the Minnesota Twins, striking out 10. Talk about a glimmer of things to come!

215. Andy Kosco
216. Bob Oliver
217. Steve Barber
218. Don Rose

There was no pressure on Andy Kosco when he pinch hit in the ninth inning of a 12-2 blowout loss to the Orioles on April 28 and he responded with a base hit. On May 5, the Angels traded veteran pitcher Tom Murphy for Bob Oliver, who went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the first of his 395 games as an Angel on May 7. The Braves released veteran pitcher Steve Barber on May 11 and he was signed by the Angels on May 16, appearing that night in 1/3 of an inning, inducing a groundout. Part of the Fregosi/Ryan trade, pitcher Don Rose made his Angel debut with a inning of scoreless relief on May 19.

Pitcher Alan Foster was part of the Alex Johnson Vada Pinson trade, but he didn't hold up his end of the bargain in his May 21 debut at old Comiskey Park. He came into a game with 2 on and the Angels up by 2 in the bottom of the 9th. He got a fly out and then served up a three-run homer to Carlos May.

219. Alan Foster
220. Curt Motton
221. Tom Dukes

Veteran 4th Outfielder Curt Motton came to the Angels in a midseason trade with the Brewers and started in Left Field on June 23. One-Fourth of the Fregosi/Ryan trade was backup catcher Frank Estrada, who played a grand total of 4 innings in the major leagues. He never appeared on a game as an Angel and was traded on May 29 to the Orioles for pitcher Tom Dukes, who would appear in 7 games as an Angel, the first on June 25.

222. Dave Sells
223. Chris Coletta
224. Doug Howard
225. Dick Lange

FOUR ML DEBUTS
Pitcher David Sells made his major league debut as an Angel, giving up 3 runs in 2 innings of relief in a loss to the White Sox on August 2. Chris Colletta started a game on August 15 in Left Field for his major league debut. Outfielder Doug Howard made his major league debut starting in Left Field on September 6. The Angels' 7th round pick from 1970, Dick Lange, was the starting pitcher on September 9, making his major league debut. He went 5 and a third, giving up 2 earned runs, including an RBI single to White Sox Third Baseman Ed Spiezio. Players picked in the 1970 draft after Lange: Phil Garner, Goose Gossage and Ray Knight. They went in the 8, 9 and 10 round respectively. Go Angels!

Opening Day was a night game at Anaheim Stadium. Catcher Jerry Moses, part of a big trade with the Red Sox in the offseason, made his Angel debut behind the plate in the top of the first catching veteran Halo Clyde Wright. The third out of the top of the first was a flyball to Centerfielder Ken Berry, part of a big offseason trade with the White Sox. The star-crossed superstar Tony Conigliaro was the centerpiece of the Boston trade, batting cleanup in his opening day Angel debut. Veteran John Stephenson, a serviceable backup Catcher, pinch hit for the pitcher and flied out in the 8th inning of the opening day loss to Kansas City.

196. Jerry Moses
197. Ken Berry
198. Tony Conigliaro
199. John Stephenson
200. Syd O'Brien
201. Jeff Torborg

The 200th Angel was infielder Syd O'Brien, who started a Sunday day game in Milwaukee on April 11. He grounded into a double play in his first at bat in the top of the first inning. Veteran Catcher Jeff Torborg had been sold to the Angels during Spring Training and, in the same game, he crouched behind the plate with a Halo for the first time in the bottom of the First inning.

In the offseason, the Angels traded Greg Garret to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Jim Maloney. The Right Hander took over for Tom Murphy in the 6th inning of a losing shutout at home against Oakland. The A's were in town 2 nights later when offseason acquisition Billy Wynne made his Angel debut in relief, striking out 3 in an inning and a third. He would only appear in two more games with the Angels, his final major league appearance being April 30. The Cubs had traded Archie Reynolds to the Angels in July of 1970, but it was not until May 9 of 1971 that the Right Hander entered a major league game wearing the Halo. He threw two scoreless innings in his first of 15 games as an Angel.

202. Jim Maloney
203. Billy Wynne
204. Archie Reynolds
205. Andy Hassler

Pitcher Andy Hassler made his major league debut in an Angel uniform on May 30, starting a game on the mound in Yankee Stadium. He would not factor into the decision and would end up back with the Halos on a 2nd tour of duty in 1980, eventually appearing in the 1982 LCS with the club. In between he had some good years with some great Kansas City Royals clubs in the mid-1970s. Righty Fred Lasher pitched in one of his 2 games as an Angel in County Stadium, Milwaukee, debuting on June 23 in the bottom of the 8th and pitching a scoreless inning with the Brew Crew way ahead. Short Stop Bruce Christensen made his major league debut on a Saturday night in Anaheim against Jim Palmer and the Baltimore Orioles. He had a sacrifice hit and was involved in two of the Angels' four defensive double plays in the Angels 10-3 victory that night.

206. Fred Lasher
207. Bruce Christensen
208. Billy Parker
209. Rudy Meoli
210. Art Kusnyer

Two Angels made their major league debuts in the same game on September 9. Billy Parker was the starting 2nd baseman and struck out in his first major league at-bat. In the 9th inning, Rudy Meoli came in as a pinch-runner but was out on a fielder's choice. Despite that, the Angels scored two runs to send the game into extras. In the bottom of the 12th, with 2 out and nobody on, Billy Parker hit a walk-off homerun. The final debut of the 1971 season saw Catcher Art Kusnyer take over for Jeff Torborg in the top of the 8th inning, getting a hit in his first at-bat as an Angel. Kusnyer would go on to be the bullpen coach of the World Champion 1989 Oakland A's and 2005 White Sox. But for the 76-86 1971 Angels, Parker's walk-off homerun was pretty much the highlight of the year.

The Angels traded 3 players to the Reds for Alex Johnson and Chico Ruiz in the offseason. It was, in fact, the final trade made by the club in the 1960s. Alex Johnson started on opening day 1970 in Left Field. He led off the 2nd inning with a triple and scored the first of 12 runs scored by the Angels that afternoon in their shutout rout of the Brewers - the first American League game ever played at County Stadium, longtime home of the Braves. Johnson's .329 batting average in 1970 would be the league leader that season, still the only Angel to win a season batting championship.

181. Alex Johnson
182. Mel Queen

On April 10, 28-year old reliever Mel Queen threw two and a third innings to get a save in Kansas City in his Angel debut. Not to be outdone, Paul Doyle pitched 2 in relief for a Save against KC the very next night! On April 15, Chico Ruiz entered the game as a pinch runner for Jim Fregosi in the 6th inning and stayed in the game defensively at Shortstop. The Twins had scored 8 in the top half of the inning, so resting Fregosi was begat out of mercy, not necessity.

183. Paul Doyle
184. Chico Ruiz
185. Greg Garrett
186. Ken McMullen
187. Ray Oyler
188. Tom Silverio

Lefty Greg Garrett made his major league debut on April 24 in Washington DC, pitching 1/3 of an inning - striking out the first man he ever faced in the bigs (Senators outfielder Lee Maye). On April 27, the Angels traded long serving outfielder Rick Reichardt to the Senators for infielder Ken McMullen. Batting 5th the next day he went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and a 2-run homer. The homerun came in the top of the 9th in Yankee Stadium with the Angels down 7-2. Later in the same inning, with the score at 7-5 and a man on 3rd with 2 outs, Ray Oyler made his Angel debut representing the tying run. He grounded into a game-ending force out. Another pinch-hitting debut came with Tom Silverio on April 30, only this time it was also his major league debut. He, too, grounded out.

189. Dave LaRoche

In his first of two tours of duty as an Angel, Lefty Dave LaRoche would make his major league debut on May 11 in the top of the 15th inning at home against the Boston Red Sox. With 2 on and 2 out, La Roche took the mound against future Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. He induced a lineout to end the inning and was the pitcher of record in line for the win when the Angels scored in the bottom of the inning. Yaz would lose the batting title to Alex Johnson by less than .0005, and had LaRoche's entree gone to the veteran, so too, later that Autumn, would have the A.L. batting title.

After allowing 7 unanswered runs in 4 innings on May 16, the Angels brought in reliever Harvey Shank for his major league debut. He gave them 3 innings of shutout ball against the A's in Oakland. It was his one and only appearance in the major leagues. The A's sold veteran outfielder Tommie Reynolds to the Angels after the game and he made his debut as a Halo on May 20, batting 7th and starting in Right Field.

190. Harvey Shank
191. Tommie Reynolds
192. Mickey Rivers

The most egregious oversight in the Top 100 Angels is easily "Mick the Quick" outfielder Mickey Rivers. He debuted in the bigs wearing a Halo on August 4. John Milton Rivers was 21 years old and would provide speed to the team like few had ever seen on the West Coast for parts of 6 seasons. He would be traded to the Yankees after the 1975 season for Bobby Bonds.

193. Tony Gonzalez
194. Terry Cox
195. Doug Griffin

Veteran outfielder Tony Gonzalez was sold to the Angels on August 31 and grounded out as a pinch hitter late in a defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. Pitcher Terry Cox made his major league debut on September 7, getting a popout in his 1/3 of an inning pitched. He would see action in two more games that season and never see the bigs again. Doug Griffin made his debut as the starting Second Baseman for the Angels on September 11, going 0 for 3 with a walk and playing fine defense. He would be the centerpiece of the October, 1970 trade that was to bring Tony Conigliaro to the Angels.

An offseason trade for pitcher Sammy Ellis landed the Angels Bill Voss who was the leadoff batter at home on April 8, 1969. Trouble with leading off at home was that the expansion Seattle Pilots batted first - literally the first at-bats of the franchise - and scored 4 runs before Voss even had the chance to fly out to center. Neither Voss nor debuting First Baseman Dick Stuart were involved in a single defensive play in the 4-Run 1st, so Voss lead off the bottom of the inning with a fly out and Stuart finished the frame with a strikeout, stranding two. Former Fireman of the year (1965) Eddie Fisher pitched 4 innings of shutout ball but the new franchise held on to defeat the Angels 4-3.

160. Bill Voss
161. Dick Stuart
162. Eddie Fisher
163. Bob Chance
164. Pedro Borbon
165. Hoyt Wilhelm
166. Ruben Amaro

In the 2nd game of the season, the evening of April 9 at Anaheim Stadium, Bob Chance pinch hit for Andy Messersmith in the bottom of the 4th and drove in Aurelio Rodriguez. It was Chance's only hit and Ribby as an Angel - he would appear in 7 games as an Angel before being traded to Atlanta in May. Pedro Borbon made his major league debut in Messersmith's spot, pitched 3 innings of scoreless relief and saw the Angels roar back from a 3-0 deficit to win 7-3. Veteran reliever Hoyt Wilhelm, acquired in the offseason from the expansion Kansas City Royals, pitched two innings for the save and Ruben Amaro came in as a late inning defensive replacement for Angels First Baseman Roger Repoz. Mop up reliever Phil Ortega appeared in the first of his 5 games as an Angel on April 16, surrendering a run in an inning of a 6-1 loss at Oakland.

167. Phil Ortega
168. Sandy Alomar
169. Bob Priddy

On May 14 the Angels pulled the trigger on an emotionally-jarring trade for long time fans of the franchise. They traded veteran 2nd Baseman Bobby Knoop to the Chicago White Sox for infielder Sandy Alomar and reliever Bob Priddy. Alomar led off the May 16 road game at Yankee Stadium and Priddy appeared the following night, May 17, surrendering a run in an inning of relief.

Rookie Ken Tatum made his major league debut with an inning of scoreless relief on May 28. A bright spot of 1969, he would record 22 saves with a 1.36 ERA. After 126 games as an Angel in parts of '68 and '69, Vic Davalillo was traded on May 30 for outfielder Jim Hicks, who would go on to bat .083 the rest of the season and never play in the big leagues again, while Vic D would play into the 1980 season, appearing in FOUR World Series with three different teams. Hicks went 0 for 1 with a walk on June 1. Rookie Greg Washburn (no relation to Jarrod) pitched an inning of relief on June 7 in the first of 8 major league games he would appear. Veteran Catcher Joe Azcue arrived on the Angels in a trade for longtime Halo Tom Satriano. With the departure of Knoop and Satriano, the 1960s were fading fast in Anaheim. Azcue had a sac fly and a hit in his June 16 debut for the Angels, his third team of the season.

170. Ken Tatum
171. Jim Hicks
172. Greg Washburn
173. Joe Azcue
174. Billy Cowan
175. Vern Geishert

The Yankees sold the contract of utilityman Billy Cowan to the Angels 5 days after Man landed on the Moon. Cowan lined out to the shortstop as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 9th on August 1st. In 1971, Cowan would have the awesomest Angels baseball card ever published. Pitcher Vern Geishert fared better on August 26, as he was in the right place at the right time in his major league debut of 4 innings of relief, as picked up the win in Cleveland when the Angels came from behind to win 8-4.

176. Lloyd Allen
177. Tom Bradley
178. Marty Perez
179. Randy Brown
180. Wally Wolf

September Callups
On September 1, the 12th pick in the first round of the 1968 draft 19 year old Righty Lloyd Allen made his major league debut pitching a scoreless inning in the first of what would be 113 games as an Angel until traded to Texas in the 1973 season. Two September callups made their debuts on September 9. Pitcher Tom Bradley gave up 4 hits and 2 runs in 2/3 in and got the loss. He would appear in a total of 3 games while Marty Perez took Jim Fregosi off his feet as a defensive replacement at Short Stop in the 9th inning of a losing home game. On September 11, backup catching prospect Randy Brown made his first appearance as a Major Leaguer, grounding out as a pinch hitter for Buck Rodgers. 27-year old rookie Wally Wolf got his first appearance in the bigs on September 27, surrendering a base hit to Joe Rudi before getting an out.

Wolf would appear in 5 other games in his career. It was one small step for a man, one small step for the franchise.

Helter Skelter

When the start of your team's afternoon game on Opening Day is delayed due to Martin Luther King Junior's funeral... perhaps it is an omen of the lousiness that is to come.

142. Chuck Hinton
143. Tom Burgmeier
144. Sammy Ellis
145. Bob Heffner
146. Marty Pattin
147. Bobby Trevino
148. Tom Murphy

The big offseason trade was kind of mild - Jose Cardenal sent to Cleveland for Chuck Hinton. The new right fielder went 1 for 4, one of only 4 Angel hits on the day, a 1-0 shutout in the Bronx. Tom Burgmeier made his major league debut in the opener as well with a scoreless inning of relief. Right Hander Sammy Ellis started the 5th game of the season on April 15 in Washingotn DC. He got shelled in 4 and two-thirds innings.

Reliever Bob Heffner had not pitched in the bigs since his appearance in 5 games in September of 1966. In his first appearance as an Angel on May 2, he allowed a run to score without getting any outs and was relieved. His ERA that day: Infinity. His stats got better, a little better, but he only appeared in 7 games as an Angel to complete a parts-of-five-seasons big league career.

May 14 saw the major league debut of promising rookie Right Hander Marty Pattin threw 84 innings in 52 games with a 2.79 ERA but was drafted by the expansion Seattle Pilots after the 1968 campaign, eventually ending up as part of the late-1970s Royals mini-dynasty. Backup outfielder Bobby Trevino entered his first bog league game wearing a halo on May 22. He batted .225 in 17 major league contests. His contract had been purchased from the Mexico City Reds by the Angels. The Angels' first Tom Murphy was a first round pick in the 1967 draft out of Ohio University. The Right Hander started the first game of a doubleheader in Fenway Park on June 13, throwing 6 innings of 2 run ball, and striking out 7.

For baseball purists, the boxscore's original date stands (as was the notion earlier this season that A-Rod's 299th homer might become his 300th when a suspended game was resumed later in the season - Had A-Rod homered in the innings comprising the resumed game, the homer would have been credited to the earlier date, therefore making each subsequent homer one place higher on his career tally. Rodriguez was thankfully homerless in those few innings comprising the finishing up of the suspended game, damning the purists). For you purists, then, Davalillo debuted on June 13 in the bottom of the 9th inning in Boston as a defensive replacement with the bases loaded and none out. From the outfield, he saw one pitch - it was hit for a grand slam and the ballgame was over. Since that finishing up of the June 13th contest took place on August 4th, though, the real Davalillo debut occurred on Sunday, June 16 in Anaheim where Vic D struck out as a pinch hitter for Clyde Wright in the 8th inning.

The veteran Larry Sherry signed as a free agent on July 1, debuted on July 2nd and pitched in relief in 3 games before retiring. Too bad he didn't stick around until August 4th so he could have made his Angel mark by screwing this whole thing up even more!

One of the all-time impact players on and off the field, Andy Messersmith debuted on July 4 or June 13. He surrendered a grand slam to the one batter he faced in the bottom of the 9th in Fenway park on August 4th to complete a game that had begun on June 13, IF you are a purist. In reality he made his major league debut on the 4th of July in Tiger Stadium as the 5th pitcher to appear in the bottom of the 2nd inning, Detroit having scored 9 runs off of the starting pitcher and three relievers. Messersmith induced a pop fly to strand 2 runners and pitched 5 more innings of the game.

Infielder Wayne Causey was traded by the ChiSox for Woodie Held and debuted for the Angels on July 21. He was sold to the Braves 9 days later. He was 0 for his Angel 11 but played a flawless 2nd Base. That makes two players who signed with the team and left before the June 13 suspended game could be made up on August 4.

On July 31, Bill Harrelson pitched a complete game that was a 1-1 tie until he surrendered 3 runs in the 8th (walk, single, HR). For you purists, though, he made his debut in that June 13 game (in reality it was August 4th, his 2nd major league appearance), throwing 2 innings of shutout relief in a 1-1 tie, but in the 9th inning he walked 3 and was removed from the game. 1968 was his only season in the majors.

154. Dennis Bennett
155. Chuck Cottier
156. Winston Llenas
157. Jim Spencer

Lefty Dennis Bennett had been purchased from the Cubs midseason and made his Angel debut on August 3, starting the second game of a doublehehader. He surrendered three earned runs and got the loss. Backup Third Baseman Chuck Cottier debuted on August 7 and would go on to bat.194 in 33 games that season.

24-year old utilityman Winston Llenas had been in the Angels' system since 1962 and made his debut on August 15. He doubled and scored in his first Major League at-bat and would go on to appear in 300 games as an Angel thru the 1975 season. On September 7, Jim Spencer, our 1965 first round pick (11th overall) finally made it to the show, and would play parts in 7 seasons as a First Baseman. Fifth outfielder Jarvis Tatum made the first of 10 appearances in the major leagues on September 7. He would eventually be part of the deal that brought Tony Conigliaro to Anaheim.

158. Jarvis Tatum
159. Steve Kealey

On September 9, the final debut of the year occurred when Steve Kealey gave up a run in 2 innings as a middle reliever at home in front of 10,299 fans. Across the Atlantic on the very same night, the Beatles recorded Helter Skelter.

Two Mooses, a Hawk and The Don...

121. Jimmie Hall
122. Don Mincher

The big offseason move was trading franchise icon Dean Chance (along with Jackie Hernandez) to Minnesota for a big bat: Don Mincher, along with Pete Cimino and Jimmie Hall.

Jimmie Hall and Don Mincher were both in the lineup on Opening Day, 1968, a Tuesday evening game at home against the Detroit Tigers. Hall and Mincher took the field together, Hall in Right Field, Mincher at first Base. There were no plays to either defensive position in the top of the first inning, so by virtue of batting 3rd and making his Angel debut with a fly to Centerfield, Jimmie Hall is Angel #121. But nobody would mistake his contributions for that of #122, as Don Mincher went 3 for 4 with a homerun (in his 2nd at-bat as an Angel) and 2 RBI in a 4-2 Angel victory. The centerpiece of what we got for Dean Chance would go on to record an OPS+ of 157 in 1967, tied with Vladdy's 2004 MVP season for 4th all time Angel single season.

123. Nick Willhite
124. Orlando McFarlane
125. Don Wallace
126. Pete Cimino
127. Jim Hibbs

The 2nd game of the season saw five Angels make their debut, although none of them were in the starting lineup! Reliever Nick Willhite an offseason middle relief acquisition from the Dodgers (in exchange for then-team saves leader Bob Lee) relieved in the bottom of the 4th inning, and gave up 2 earned runs in an inning and a third. He would be traded in June to the Mets for Jack Hamilton. Orlando McFarlane only had to move from one locker room to the next when he was purchased from the Tigers by the Angels the day before the season started. He had an RBI double in his first plate appearance as an Angel, pinch-hitting in the 5th. He was removed for a pinch runner making his major league debut, Don Wallace, who would appear in 26 total games - all in 1967 with the Angels, the final one being June 3. At season's end he was designated the "player to be named later" in a mid-season trade. He would fail to score in the inning and was replaced in the lineup by the third player acquired for Dean Chance, pitcher Pete Cimino. In the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and the Angels trailing 6-3, Manager Bill Rigney pinch hit Jim Hibbs in the pitchers spot. He grounded out to end the game and had no hits in his other 2 major league at bats.

128. Len Gabrielson
129. Rickey Clark
130. Moose Skowron
131. Johnny Werhas
132. Ken Turner
133. Jack Hamilton

Reserve outfielder Len Gabrielson, Jr. had been acquired in the offseason from the Giants and made his Angel debut on April 15 at home pinch hitting in the bottom of the 9th of a tie game. He grounded out to send the contest to extras. He saw action in 11 games, primarily as a Pinch Hitter before being traded to the Dodgers in May for Johnny Werhas.

Appearing in his first of 96 Angel appearances, Rickey Clark threw 4 innings of shutout relief on April 22 in his Major League debut at home in front of 4,694 fans who saw him earn the victory as the Angels staged a mid-innings comeback from a 4-0 deficit to beat Cleveland 11-4.

He had 4 rings with the Yankees in the 50s and 60s, and when Bill Skowron aka "Moose" was traded by the ChiSox to the Angels for minor leaguer Cotton Nash, he wound up pinch hitting against his old team, striking out as a 9th inning pinch hitter in a 2-1 Angels loss to the Pinstripers. A trade on May 10 brought Johnny Werhas to the club from the Dodgers for Len Gabrielson. Werhas was a utility infielder type whose Angel debut was as a pinch runner for Buck Rodgers representing the winning run in a game that would see Bobby Knoop strike out and Tom Satriano ground out to end yet another Angel loss.

Tune in, turn on, drop out: Left Handed Pitcher Ken Turner made 13 total Major League appearances, all in 1967 as an Angel. The first was on June 11, where he induced a double play from a threatening Tiger team in the 8th inning of a 6-4 Angelswin. A June 10 trade with the Mets for Nick Willhite delivered Righty Jack Hamilton, who gave up a run in two-thirds of an inning in his major league debut on June 12.

A June 15 trade with Baltimore sent Marcelino Lopez and a minor leaguer to the Orioles for veteran utility man Woodie Held. On June 16, Held showed that the change of scenery did him good - he went 2 for 3 with a homerun in his first game as an Angel and 1 for 4 with a homerun in the 2nd game of that day's doubleheader - the Angels and Held took two from the Orioles in Baltimore!

134. Woodie Held
135. Roger Repoz

On June 27, at Fenway Park, newly acquired outfielder Roger Repoz started the game in Centerfield and went 1 for 4. He had been traded to the Kansas City Athletics for Jack Sanford and Jackie Warner. It would be the first of 563 games as an Angel in which the platoon man would appear.

136. Hawk Taylor
137. Curt Simmons
138. Jim Weaver
139. Moose Stubing

A July 24 trade with the Mets delivered 2nd string catcher Hawk Taylor to the club. He entered the July 28 game as a replacement for Buck Rodgers. Left Handed Pitcher Curt Simmons was sold to Angels by the Cubs in August and he made his debut under the Halo on August 9. The veteran Simmons had made his major league debut in 1947. Rookie Jim Weaver made his major league debut on August 13, surrendering 2 runs that did not help Boston in a 3-2 Angels victory at home in front of 22,008 Sunday afternoon fans. Angels coaching legend Moose Stubing debuted on August 14 and in his 5 games in the Major Leagues he had no hits in and 4 strikeouts. But he stuck in the Angels system for over two decades, and when he was given the final 8 games of the 1988 season to show what he could do as Angels manager in the wake of the Cookie Rojas debacle, he went 0-8.

140. Aurelio Rodriguez
141. Bobby Locke

The final two Angels to appear in the Summer of Love would both debut on September 1. Rookie callup Aurelio Rodriguez led off the game playing Third Base and doubled in his 2nd at-bat, scoring later that inning. Journeyman pitcher Bobby Locke entered the game in relief, and was the pitcher of record when the Angels scored two in the bottom of the 9th to win 4-3.

Despite all the roster shuffling, Mincher and the Angels finished 1967 with a respectable 84 - 77 record in 5th place, 7.5 games behind the AL champion Boston Red Sox.