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Garret Anderson, one of the heroes of the Angels' 2002 World Series run, dies at 53
Garret Anderson waves to the crowd at his Angels Hall of Fame induction in 2016.
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Stephen Dunn
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Getty Images
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Los Angeles Angels legend Garret Anderson has died. The team announced his death today on social media.
The cause and location of his death were not immediately announced.
"Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons," owner Arte Moreno said in a statement, "and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship."
Anderson's story is a Southern California one in so many ways. He was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, where he was a three-sport star in baseball, basketball and football. He won All-Los Angeles City and All-League Honors as a junior and helped lead Kennedy's basketball team to an L.A. City Championship.
The Angels drafted him out of high school in 1990, and he made his Major League debut in 1994.
He spent all but two of his 17 Major League seasons with the Halos and was a key player on the 2002 team that won the franchise's first, and still only, World Series.
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After the Angels decided not to renew his contract at the end of the 2008 season, Anderson signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2009 before returning to SoCal in 2010, this time as a member of the Dodgers. He spent a single season there before retiring in 2011.
He leads the Angels all-time in a slew of statistics, including games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), doubles (489) and several others. He was a three-time All-Star, the 2003 Home Run Derby winner and All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
But Angels fans will probably remember him best for his go-ahead, three-run double in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series. It gave the Angels a 4-1 lead, which they never surrendered.
But despite all the accolades, one of the most impressive stats from Anderson's career was his reliability. He had a stretch of eight seasons where he appeared in at least 150 games and played in at least 140 games in 11 of his 17 seasons in the pros.
Shortly after he retired, he joined the Angels television broadcast team to provide pregame and postgame analysis.
The Angels will wear a special "GA" memorial patch on their uniforms for the remainder of the season. They'll also play a tribute and hold a moment of silence in his honor before tonight's game against the San Diego Padres at Angel Stadium.
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Here’s the patch the #Angels will wear the rest of the season to honor Garret Anderson pic.twitter.com/9L6S0ZlJrU
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) April 17, 2026
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