The Bilko Athletic Club: The Story of the 1956 Los Angeles Angels

The Bilko Athletic Club is the story of the 1956 Los Angeles Angels, a team of castoffs and kids built around a bulky, beer-loving basher of home runs named Steve Bilko. The Angels compiled a 107-61 won-loss record, finishing sixteen games ahead of their closest competitor. That year, Bilko paced the Pacific Coast League in eight categories: home runs, batting average, runs batted in, hits, runs scored, walks, total bases, and slugging percentage. Including original… (more)

The Bilko Athletic Club is the story of the 1956 Los Angeles Angels, a team of castoffs and kids built around a bulky, beer-loving basher of home runs named Steve Bilko. The Angels compiled a 107-61 won-loss record, finishing sixteen games ahead of their closest competitor. That year, Bilko paced the Pacific Coast League in eight categories: home runs, batting average, runs batted in, hits, runs scored, walks, total bases, and slugging percentage. Including original interviews with 24 of the ’56 Angels, as well as interviews with dozens of additional players, umpires, sportswriters, and fans, this book takes the reader back to the golden era of baseball and shares the players’ hopes, successes, doubts, and disappointments as they pursued their dreams.