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Los Angeles Angels Honor Tyler Skaggs With Historic Night

Tyler Skaggs

The Los Angeles Angels honored pitcher Tyler Skaggs with a historic night. The Angels no-hit the Seattle Mariners in their first home game since the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Taylor Cole pitched the first two innings and Felix Pena pitched the next seven as the Angels defeated the Seattle Mariners 13-0. The Angels scored seven runs in the first inning keyed by a two-run home run by Mike Trout.

Tribute to Tyler Skaggs

This game was played in memory of Skaggs, who died suddenly on July 1st at the age of 27. In a tribute to Skaggs, every Angel player wore his number, 45. After the game, every Angels player took off their jersey and placed it on the mound in yet another tribute for their fallen teammate. In the center of the mound laid a picture of Skaggs that was painted by a fan.

As part of the pre-game ceremony, Skaggs’ mother Debbie threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Joining her on the mound was Skaggs’ wife, Carli, his stepbrother Garret, and his stepfather, Dan Ramos. As part of the ceremony, the Angels showed a tribute video of Skaggs’ career on the big screen and there was a 45 second moment of silence held with both teams lined up on the foul lines.

Divine Intervention

Trout, who drove in six runs, was a close friend of Skaggs, as both were drafted by the Angels in 2009. As Trout reached home plate after his first inning home run, he acknowledged the owner’s booth. In addition, Trout took 28 seconds to round the bases. According to Statcast, this was the longest trip around the bases by Trout after hitting a home run.

Trout’s home run was projected to have traveled 454 feet. Fittingly, Skaggs’ number 45 is forward and backward in 454. The Angels scored 13 runs in the game, and Tyler Skaggs would have turned 28 on July 13th. Exactly one year before this game, the Angels defeated the Mariners on the same field, 11-2, with Skaggs getting the win.

The Angels unveiled a new sign on the wall in center field. It shows a picture of Skaggs getting ready to throw a pitch, and right next to it is a patch with the number 45 on it. The Angels will wear a number 45 patch on their uniforms for the remainder of the season.

The Angels pitching staff combined to throw a no-hitter, a feat which isn’t common in the game of baseball. According to Stats by STATS, the last time a California team pitched a combined no-hitter was July 13, 1991 – or, in other words, the day Tyler Skaggs was born.

Mariners’ second baseman Dee Gordon was the next-to-last out of the game. While a member of the Miami Marlins, Gordon lost teammate Jose Fernandez tragically in a boating accident. The first game the Marlins played after Fernandez’s death was in Miami against the New York Mets. Gordon led off that game with a home run in a 7-3 Marlins win.

Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images

Jared Cantatore

Jared Cantatore

Writer and Editor. Born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. Big time Mets, NY Football Giants, Los Angeles Lakers & Notre Dame Football fan. I am also a life long WWE fan. I love to write about the 4 major sports and Wrestling. Also, I love sports collectibles especially starting lineup figures. My day job is working in advertising on the finance side. Proud supporter and survivor of the American Heart Association.

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