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Tyler Skaggs’ mom threw the first pitch in the first Los Angeles Angels’ home game since the player’s death. Then his teammates threw a combined no-hitter, ESPN reported.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” teammate Mike Trout told ESPN.
The Los Angeles Angels were wearing Tyler Skaggs jerseys to honor their teammate, who died July 1 in Southlake, Texas. At their first home game, which was on the eve of Skaggs’ 28th birthday, they had a moment of silence for the fallen player.
Debbie Skaggs threw the honorary first pitch to her son’s close friend and teammate, Andrew Heaney. She threw a strike, then paused and bowed her head, folding her hands in front of her face. Then, hit teammates threw a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners. The Los Angeles Angels gathered to celebrate on the field in a cheering sea of Tyler Skaggs jerseys.
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“I’m speechless,” Trout told ESPN. “This is the best way to honor him.”
The team laid their Tyler Skaggs’ jerseys on the pitcher’s mound, joined by a photo of their teammate. His image is also in the stadium. The memorial shows Tyler Skaggs preparing to throw a pitch. An impromptu memorial was also placed at the stadium.
“He was in the prime of his life and the prime of his career — it’s very tough,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus told MLB.com. “I walked into the ballpark today and saw the flowers and signs out front and that was special. I went for a run on the field and saw Tyler’s picture on the board. It brings back some emotion, but I think it’s nice to have his family here to honor them in front of Angels fans.”
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Tyler Skaggs Mom Threw The First Pitch
The Angels paid tribute to Tyler Skaggs before their first home game since his death.
They held a moment of silence and his mom Debbie threw out the first pitch.
(via @MLB)
The Los Angeles Angels honored Tyler Skaggs in their first home game since their teammates death Friday, and then went on to throw a no-hitter. The team held a pre-game ceremony with a moment of silence for Skaggs. Then, his mother, Debbie Skaggs, took her son’s place on the pitcher’s mound near a photo of her son, along with Tyler Skaggs’ wife, Carli Skaggs, his stepbrother, Garret, and his stepfather, Dan Ramos.
Debbie Skaggs threw a strike.
“It was unbelievable,” Taylor Cole told MLB.com. “She went out there and threw an absolute perfect pitch. It couldn’t have been better. No matter how great of an effort or how great of an athlete she is. I heard she even used to catch Tyler’s bullpens. She was a great athlete but she threw a great pitch. It was really cool to see his family before the game. It set the tone for the rest of the way.”
A video memorial was played for Tyler Skaggs, along with a moment of silence while the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners lined up along the foul lines.
Tyler Skaggs Teammates Threw a No-Hitter
The Angels throw a combined no-hitter at their first home game since the unexpected death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs in North Texas. His mom threw out the first pitch and every Angels player wore Skaggs uniforms. All the players took them off after and put them on the mound.
The Los Angeles Angels scored seven first-inning runs Friday and finished with 13 runs, beating the Mariners 13-0. The game was the 11th no-hitter in the Angels’ history, ESPN reported.
“You feel like it’s partly Skaggsy’s no-hitter,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus told ESPN.
Taylor Cole pitched the first two innings. Felix Pena pitched the final seven. Combined, they struck out eight batters and had only one walk.
“It’s probably more just emotionally therapeutic,” Andrew Heaney told MLB.com. “Everybody after the game, we’re running out on the field and everybody’s celebrating. Three hours earlier, and I don’t know about anybody else, but I had tears in my eyes. You’re sort of reliving your bad memories, bad thoughts. Just for tonight and maybe moving forward, you kind of change your mindset from when you think about him. You’re thinking about the loss of a friend, of a teammate, whatever it may be. But moving forward, hopefully it can be a little bit more of when you think of him, you think of his jersey, you think of his name, it brings back positive memories.”