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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Homecoming for Hamilton

During the 2012 Winter Meetings, baseball saw the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim land the most coveted player on the free agent market for the second consecutive year. One year after signing Albert Pujols to the second wealthiest contract in MLB history, the Halos inked a 5-year, $125 Million deal with outfielder Josh Hamilton which on paper gave the Angels one of the most formidable lineups in all of baseball and was thought to be a World Series contender. In the five seasons Hamilton spent with the Texas Rangers before becoming a free-agent, he was named to the American League All-Star team all five years and won the AL batting title while being awarded AL MVP in 2010. The man who was once touted among the best prospects in all of baseball before injuries and drug abuse threatened his career, had finally developed into the player scouts knew he was destined to be. After earning the recognition of one of the game's best players, Hamilton helped lead the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances including the first in franchise history in 2010. So it came as no surprise that Hamilton garnered a hefty payday when he hit the free-agent market just two seasons later.

However, since signing with the Halos, Hamilton has been a shadow of his former self while spending numerous stints on the disabled-list and producing nowhere near the numbers he did while with the Rangers. And then came his relapse with cocaine and alcohol in February which he admitted to. After news broke of Hamilton's relapse, Angels owner Arte Moreno ordered all of Hamilton's merchandise to be removed from the shelves at the team store inside Angels Stadium. Moreno and company was well aware of the risk that came with the now 33-year old slugger the moment they signed him and after the league chose not to suspend Hamilton following his most recent relapse which Moreno was hoping for, the front-office began searching for a team interested in his services. And on Monday, the Angels brought that proposal to fruition by agreeing to trade the highly paid, struggling star to the Rangers. The deal which will end the rocky relationship between Hamilton and the Angels is an expensive one for Anaheim as they will now pay all but around $7 Million of the $83 Million Hamilton is still owed, while shipping him to a division rival and getting nearly nothing in return aside from cleaning their hands of the problematic outfielder.

Although the Rangers will be getting a bargain considering how much Hamilton is owed and how little of the portion they'll have to pay him while hoping to find a solution to their struggling outfield, it won't all be bouquets and hugs for Hamilton when he makes his return to the field for the Rangers. Hamilton will have to regain some of the respect and admiration fans in Arlington once had for their beloved MVP. Upon leaving the franchise he resurrected his baseball career with, Hamilton called Dallas a football town on his way out which although true, rubbed some fans the wrong way. Currently on the disabled-list while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Hamilton is expected to be ready to join the team come mid-May following a Minor League stint according to Rangers GM  Jon Daniels. Hamilton who was no stranger to the Angels organization before he signed with them having faced them multiple times a year while a member of the Rangers, will once again be on the opposing side and my guess is he won't be getting a standing ovation from Halo fans when he's introduced in the batters box. 

Three years removed from clubbing a career-high 43 home runs in his last season with the Rangers, 12 more than he hit in his two seasons combined with the Angels, Hamilton is hoping a change of scenery to a very familiar franchise will help him reclaim the star power he once possessed. With his story and struggles with drugs and alcohol well documented, you can't help but root for the guy and hope he turns it around. And when he makes his return to Arlington, I'll be doing just that.


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