It’s been an emotional month for the Los Angeles Angels, who lost pitcher Tyler Skaggs on July 1 and have played with heavy hearts ever since, including a magical no-hitter in their first home game since the tragedy.
In some ways that wound will never heal, but perhaps the Angels and their fans got another sense of closure Monday. They attended Skaggs’ memorial service at a Catholic church in his native Santa Monica, California.
This a poignant read from @BillShaikin on the memorial service for Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs: “There are mercifully few baseball players practiced in the art of eulogizing a teammate.”https://t.co/xL5lOR609z
— Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) July 23, 2019
An unspeakable tragedy
Several times during the service, teammates broke down while remembering or eulogizing Skaggs. The 27-year-old pitcher died suddenly in his hotel room in the Dallas area on a road trip.
Texas authorities performed an autopsy, but said they won’t announce a cause of death till October. The Angels’ game with the Rangers that night was postponed, but the season went on after that. When the team returned to Anaheim for a July 12 game with the Mariners, they planned a tribute to Skaggs.
Groundskeepers painted his No. 45 on the mound and the outfield wall. His teammates all wore the same number and hung his jersey in the dugout. And then two pitchers went out and threw a combined no-hitter. Players celebrated by putting their jerseys on the mound together.
We will never forget #45 ❤️⚾️.
Relive the final out of the amazing combined no-hitter from the Tyler Skaggs memorial night.
@Angels | #SkaggsForever pic.twitter.com/6nllgx3UcK— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) July 22, 2019
Remembering a friend
During his eulogy, fellow pitching Andrew Heaney recalled a time when he and Skaggs sang Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” during a ride in Skaggs’ huge pickup truck.
Skaggs’ wife, Carli, spoke of the couple’s love for Jacuzzis and In-N-Out Burger.
There were 14 speakers in all, each with his or her own anecdotes and stories and tears.
RIP, Tyler Skaggs.
Laughs and tears were shared as Tyler Skaggs’ friends, family and teammates came to remember him. He “was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the most important game of all: the game of life.” #Angels https://t.co/ywhMGDNUk5
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 22, 2019
(h/t Los Angeles Times)
