How Did the 2019 Hall of Fame Class Fare Against the LA Angels?

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NEW YORK – APRIL 13: Hideki Matsui #55 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is greeted by former teammates Alex Rodriguez #13, Derek Jeter #2, Jorge Posada #20, Robinson Cano #24, Joba Chamberlain #62 and Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees after he received his World Series ring for being a member of the 2009 New York Yankees World Series Championship team prior to the Yankees home opener at Yankee Stadium on April 13, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) /

The LA Angels and the rest of the MLB world saw a historic Hall of Fame class voted in yesterday, January 22.

While the LA Angels did not have an inductee go in after having their first in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. last year, they knew most of the inductees all too well, such as division rival Edgar Martinez or playoff foe Mariano Rivera, who was the first player ever to go in unanimously.

So how well did the Angels perform against each of the four new members of the 2019 class? Well, let’s begin with Rivera, the best closing pitcher of all time and perhaps the most dominant player ever once the postseason begins.

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Sandman entered 56 games against the Angels, and faced 262 batters. Of teams that faced Rivera at least five times, no team was better against him than the Angels, who owned a .273/.312/.380 slash line when Rivera was brought into the game. All three of those numbers are league best marks, and Rivera’s biggest ERA against any single team came against the Angels, who were able to force a 3.75 ERA out of Rivera.

The Angels also fared well against the late Roy Halladay. While they weren’t the best club against Doc, the best pitcher of his generation was only able to hold them to a 4.32 ERA. However, Halladay was able to consistently find a way to beat the Halos, as his 8-5 record against them proved.

Most of that success against Halladay came early in his career, as the Angels put up 11 and 7 runs in Doc’s first and second starts against them, respectively. In his final eight starts (over four seasons) however, Halladay allowed only 16 runs against a peak Angels team.

ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 9: Mike Mussina #35 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 9, 2006 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. The Yankees won 10-1. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

Mike Mussina, who spent the majority of his career with Baltimore and then with the Yankees, squared up against the Angels 32 times. His 16-9 record was impressive, as was his ability to go deep into games against the Angels. However, while Mussina did often beat the Angels up in the regular season, the postseason was a different story.

Mussina made three postseason starts against the Angels. In his first, he ran into the 2002 team in Game Three of the ALDS. He allowed six runs, with the big knocks coming in a two-run double from Tim Salmon, and then an Adam Kennedy solo shot in the fourth inning, after which Mussina was pulled. He would get his revenge when the Angels hosted the Yankees again in Game One of the ALDS.

This time, Mussina went 5.2 shutout innings against the Angels, allowing five hits and no walks while absolutely dominating the Halos to start the series. However, in the decisive Game Five of the series, Mussina took the mound again. After a dominant first inning, he fell off and allowed a solo home run to Garrett Anderson, followed by a two-RBI triple later on in the inning by Kennedy. While nowadays Mussina would’ve been pulled right then, he took the mound in the third only to give up two more runs and be pulled before he could get out of the inning.

SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 12: Former Seattle Mariner and current hitting coach Edgar Martinez speaks during a ceremony to retire his number before a game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on August 12, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

No 2019 Hall of Fame inductee saw the Angels more than Edgar Martinez, who spent his career in Seattle, facing the Angels in 193 games. The Halos, who despite allowing a slash line of .300/.424/.470, actually ranked pretty well against Martinez. In fact, of teams who faced the two-time batting champ at least ten times, the Halos were third best in batting average and second best in slugging percentage.

While Martinez did hit 24 of his 309 career home runs and 41 of his 514 doubles against the Angels, that was largely due to the sheer amount of games he played against the Halos. While he was still a phenomenal hitter facing them, they were often able to hold him back well enough.

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Compared to Mike Trout facing the Mariners, Martinez was the polar opposite when facing the Angels. No team feels the wrath of Trout more than the Mariners, as every time the two teams meet he takes his game to another level. Martinez slowed down when facing his SoCal division rival, but nonetheless put up strong numbers.

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The LA Angels and the rest of the MLB world saw a historic Hall of Fame class voted in yesterday, January 22.

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