Mike Lee to be part of Angels history project

Current Fallbrook resident Mike Lee will be part of a project on the history of the Los Angeles Angels.

Lee, who pitched for the Angels in 1963, will be one of approximately 150 players, coaches, and executives whose biographies will be researched as part of a project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the major league Angels, who joined the American League in 1961. The Allan Roth Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research has undertaken the project and will kick off the project during a September 29 regional chapter meeting at the Amateur Athletic Foundation library in Los Angeles. The biography project will feature those who played for or were otherwise involved with the Angels from 1961 through 1965.

“I’m hoping that we can get enough people doing stuff that we can get most of these guys or all these guys,” said Allan Roth Chapter president Steve Roney, who is also spearheading the project.

Ironically, the September 29 meeting date falls on the 50th anniversary of the last Brooklyn Dodgers game. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles for the 1958 season while the New York Giants moved to San Francisco that year. The reduction from three New York baseball teams to one led to plans to create a third major league with teams in cities not represented by the National or American circuits, and in response the American League expanded by two teams in 1961 while the National League added two teams, including the New York Mets, in 1962.

Before the Dodgers moved to California, Los Angeles had two Pacific Coast League teams, one of which was the Los Angeles Angels. At one time the PCL Angels were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles ballpark bore the same Wrigley Field name as the Chicago facility (as did the Cubs’ Catalina Island stadium used for spring training). When Gene Autry obtained an American League franchise for Los Angeles he named the team the Angels.

Autry’s team did not have its own stadium until moving to Anaheim in 1966, after which the team changed its name to the California Angels. In 1961 the Angels played their home games at Wrigley Field, and after the Dodgers completed their own stadium in time for the 1962 season the two Los Angeles teams shared that ballpark, with the Angels calling the stadium Chavez Ravine rather than Dodger Stadium.

Some of the original Angels played for one of the teams covered by other biography projects. Roney plans to focus on the 1961 Angels at first and then proceed to the 1962-65 personnel. Lee appeared in 13 major league games over two seasons. He had a career earned run average of 3.34 over 35 innings while striking out 17 batters.

Lee made his major league debut at the age of 18 with the Cleveland Indians in 1960. He pitched in seven games for the Indians that year, all in relief, and did not receive a win or loss. Lee threw nine innings with Cleveland in 1960 and had an earned run average of 2.00. He struck out six batters as a major leaguer in 1960.

Lee appeared in six games for the Angels in 1963. In four starts and two relief outings he had won-loss record of 1-1 and a 3.81 earned run average over 26 innings. Lee struck out 11 batters with the Angels.

Lee also obtained his first major-league at-bats with the Angels in 1963, although he was hitless in all seven opportunities. Roney has not yet assigned a researcher for Lee’s biography.

First drafts of the book are due in late 2009. The editing and organizing will be performed during 2010 so that the book can be published in 2011. The SABR national convention is usually awarded to a city two years in advance, and Roney will also be seeking to hold the 2011 convention in Anaheim to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Angels.