[5][6] When the original Washington Senators announced their move to Minnesota to become the Twins in 1961, Major League Baseball decided to expand a year earlier than planned to stave off the twin threats of competition from the proposed Continental League and loss of its exemption from the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Following an apathetic fan response in Washington, owner Bob Short would relocate the Rangers to Arlington in 1972, while the Angels managed to move into a new ballpark in 1966.

[7][8][9] Meanwhile the Angels managed a shocking appearance in the 2002 World Series, beating the San Francisco Giants and securing the franchise's first and only World Series title, though they would begin to struggle mightily under new owner Arte Moreno as the team found themselves losing three times to the Boston Red Sox in 2004, 2007, and 2008.

[10] The feuds go back to two incidents between Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy and Rangers catcher Gerald Laird trading insults, leading to benches clearing in a brawl between both teams.

[14][15] The Angels have not posted a winning season since they appeared in the 2014 ALDS in which they were swept by the Kansas City Royals, meanwhile the Rangers managed a return to the postseason in 2023 after seven years out of contention.