The most comical moments in Angels history
ANAHEIM -- What’s baseball without a little bit of fun?
Baseball often lends itself to comical or unusual moments and the Angels have had their fair share over the years. Here’s a look at a few of those moments:
1. The birth of the Rally Monkey
June 6, 2000
The rally monkey has become the unofficial mascot for the Angels, who still produce videos utilizing the rally monkey to comical effect late in games with the Angels looking to turn things around. It started in a game against the Giants in 2000 with the Angels down by a run in the ninth. They came back to win that game, 6-5, and the legend of the rally monkey was born. It became a huge part of their run to the World Series title in 2002 with epic comebacks, including in Game 6 at Angel Stadium.
2. Orbit pranks Mike Trout
April 18, 2017
Mike Trout fell for a prank from Orbit, the Astros' mascot, in 2017, as he thought Orbit was just giving him a hug, only for Orbit to attach a sign to his back that said, "I love the Astros." Trout, though, got his revenge by going 1-for-3 with an RBI triple in a 5-2 win.
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3. The Bee Game
Sept. 22, 2013
The Angels have had issues with bees at Angel Stadium several times in recent years, including a brief delay while playing the Rangers on April 7, but the 23-minute delay in 2013 was the most memorable. The disturbance at one point featured a worker with a broom and a Gatorade jug trying to help out in right field.
4. Smith takes a tumble
April 22, 2019
Catchers Jonathan Lucroy and Kevan Smith had quite the home-run celebration after Lucroy took Yankees lefty J.A. Happ deep for a two-run blast. Smith lost his footing as the two celebrated near home plate, falling backward as Lucroy tried to keep him upright. The two couldn't help but laugh on the way back to the dugout in an eventual 4-3 loss.
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5. Ichiro pranks Ohtani
May 5, 2018
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s first meeting with Ichiro Suzuki was a funny one. Ohtani grew up idolizing Ichiro and jogged over to approach him down the right-field line as Ichiro was talking with a few of his Mariners teammates. Ichiro jokingly ran away from Ichiro before the two finally shook hands in right field. Ichiro laughed the entire time, as he’s a noted prankster.