Angels Lead MLB in Impressive Winning Categories This Season

Angels left fielder Taylor Ward (3) and second baseman Christian Moore (4) and shortstop Zach Neto (9) celebrate after the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Sunday. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels made their point on Sunday, then left no doubt in driving it home.

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In beating the Athletics 11-5 in West Sacramento on Sunday, the Angels scored six runs in the top of the 10th inning. No team has won more games in extra innings this season than the Angels' nine; only the Cleveland Guardians have as many.

Today is the #Angels Major League leading 16th win of the year when trailing or tied after 8 innings.

Halos also lead the MLB with 23 wins when trailing or tied after 7 innings.

Angels have also tied Cleveland for the most extra-inning wins (9) in MLB this year. https://t.co/srFjWKBdbX

— Matt Birch (@MattBirch12) August 17, 2025

It was also the Angels' 16th win when trailing or tied after eight innings; they also lead MLB with 23 wins when trailing or tied after seven.

Those stats are a tribute to the Angels' much-improved relief corps, which had a league-worst 6.18 ERA on May 31, but has a 3.88 ERA since.

Closer Kenley Jansen has been the one constant in the Angels' bullpen. He tossed a scoreless ninth inning to lower his ERA for the season to 2.68. He was credited with the victory, and is now 5-2 for the season.

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Losing two out of three games to the last-place team in your own division — which the Angels did in West Sacramento — requires context. Their 10th-inning rally Sunday thwarted what would have been an ugly series sweep.

But if one accepts the premise that the Angels' final six weeks of 2025 are mostly an audition for 2026, the series was a good one for several Halos players.

Shortstop Zach Neto (4-for-14, two home runs, four RBIs) continued his stellar season. First baseman Nolan Schanuel (5-for-12, three walks) took another step forward, too. Along with Jo Adell (3-for-13, home run), the Angels' first priority this off-season might be to lock up three of their best homegrown stars in years.

In the bullpen, left-hander Reid Detmers threw a scoreless inning to lower his ERA for the season to 4.34. His strikeout (30.5 percent) and walk (9.7) rates are trending in the right direction compared to 2024, and he looks at last like he's found a long-term role in Anaheim.

Right-hander José Fermin threw a scoreless 10th inning Sunday, snapping a streak of six straight games allowing a run. He's striking out opponents at a 25.3 percent clip in his first major league season. If the 23-year-old can lower his 14.7 percent walk rate, he might avoid being sent to the minors for a fourth time this season.

In all likelihood, the Angels' 2025 season will be largely forgettable regardless of how many extra-inning games they win. But the resilience demonstrated by their young players could help build confidence that will last them into 2026 and beyond.

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