Angels Honor Skaggs with Epic No-Hitter

Something amazing happened in Friday's game between the hosting Los Angeles Angels and the visiting Seattle Mariners. On the night the Angels honored the late Tyler Skaggs who was found dead in his hotel room on July 1 during the team's recent road trip in Texas against the Rangers, the Halos did something fit for a movie script. In the team's first home game at Angels Stadium since the loss of their teammate, two Angels pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter just hours before what would've been Skaggs' 28th birthday. And given the circumstances in what's been an emotional two weeks for the club and community, it will go down as one of the most made-for-Hollywood storybook endings to occur on a baseball diamond. Factor in some of the stats in the game and you might be left with goosebumps.

With fans creating a makeshift shrine outside of the ballpark with flowers and signs to remember the 27 year old California native, inside the ballpark the team unveiled a mural in left-center field featuring an image of Skaggs delivering a pitch alongside his name and jersey No. 45. Following a video tribute and an emotional 45-seconds of silence in memory of Skaggs, his mother Debbie was called on to throw out the ceremonial first pitch as she delivered a perfect strike that helped set the tone for what would ultimately be a historic and memorable night that both Angels and baseball fans alike will one day be sure to tell their grand kids about. With Halos manager Brad Ausmus electing to go with an opener to begin the game, Taylor Cole who threw the first two innings before handing the ball off to Felix Pena for the final seven frames on a mound that was painted with Skaggs' number. With the entire team donning Skaggs' name and jersey No. 45 on the back of their uniforms to pay tribute to their fallen teammate, a decision green-lighted by MLB, the two pitchers logged eight combined strikeouts and the only blemish in their way of tossing a perfect game was a fifth inning walk by Omar Narvaez who proved to be the lone base runner on the night for Seattle.

Before out No. 27 sealed the 11th no-hitter in Angels franchise history, the Halos wasted little time pouncing on their opponent as they jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first inning alone. And leading the charge was none other than 2-time MVP Mike Trout who was a close friend of the late pitcher and was drafted by the Angels alongside Skaggs in the 2009 MLB Draft. Now for the eerie part. During their first inning onslaught, Trout who had a monster night finishing 3-for-4 with 6 RBI's, launched a 2-run home run that measured 454-feet, eerily similar to Skaggs' uniform number. Those 7 runs in the first inning would jump start a 13-run night for the Halo offense and coincidentally, Skaggs was born on 7-13-91. Still not creeped out yet? Try this; Skaggs was born on the same day that marked the last time a combined no-hitter was recorded in the state of California when the Baltimore Orioles tossed one against the Oakland A's. Facing just one batter more than the 27-batter minimum, Angels pitching faced 28 batters just less than two hours before what would've been Skaggs' 28th birthday. And finally, Friday's game marked the 11th no-hitter in Angels franchise history and oddly enough, Skaggs' old Santa Monica High School jersey number was No. 11, a jersey Tyler's brother Garrett was seen wearing during the pregame ceremony.

But perhaps the most special event that took place on Friday night was how the team honored their fallen member one last time once the game concluded. After sharing a much deserved celebration following the final out with many players pointing towards the sky, the team gave one final salute to Skaggs as each player removed their No. 45 jersey and placed it on the pitchers mound. With plans to keep his clubhouse locker in tact both at home and on the road for the remainder of the season, the Angels couldn't have drawn up a better way to bid Skaggs a farewell. The Angels are no stranger to mid-season tragedies as 2019 marks the 10-year anniversary after losing Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart who was tragically killed in a car accident just hours after pitching in a game on April 9, 2009. And as hard as these type of things are for both the team and the organization, the Angels as a whole did a fabulous job at paying tribute to one of their very own, proving once again that baseball is more than just a game.

Noteworthy: Friday's no-hitter was the Angels' first since Jared Weaver twirled one against the Minnesota Twins on May 2, 2012 and marked the fourth time the Mariners have been no-hit in their franchise history. The 13-0 win is tied for the largest run-differential in an AL no-hitter (13 runs) since at least 1908 (1938 Yankees vs Cleveland).

Rest in Peace, Tyler Skaggs (July 13, 1991 - July 1, 2019)

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