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Los Angeles Angels pay emotionally charged tribute to Tyler Skaggs

An emotionally charged night in Los Angeles delivered a magical ending as the Angels paid a fitting farewell to a fallen teammate.

less than 2 min read
July 14, 2019 - 6:40AM
Tyler Skaggs mother Debbie Hetman looks up to the sky after throwing out the first pitch.
Tyler Skaggs mother Debbie Hetman looks up to the sky after throwing out the first pitch.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house at Angel Stadium of Anaheim as the Los Angeles Angels paid an emotional tribute to their dead teammate, pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

Skaggs, 27, died in Texas on July 1 after being found unconscious and unresponsive in his Hilton hotel room at around 2.18pm.

The team returned to their home stadium for the first game since his death and the emotional scenes started straight away.

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Every member of the team wore Skaggs’ 45 jersey for the game against the Seattle Mariners with his mother, Debbie, throwing out the first pitch.

A perfect strike right down the middle was the perfect sign of what was to come over the next several hours.

Angels superstar Mike Trout strolled out for his first at bat and sent the ball deep into the stands, smashing his home run 454 feet.

Trout’s monster hit kick started a blistering first innings as the Angels scored seven to take an early commanding lead.

As the runs continued to pile in, the pitching duo of Taylor Cole and Felix Pena continued to stifle the Mariners.

It ended on a magical moment with the Angels pitching the second no-hitter in franchise history to secure the 13-0 win and celebrate for their lost teammate.

As the players celebrated the victory and saluted the heavens for their teammate, they all approached the pitchers mound and removed their jerseys before placing them down.

Trout held back tears in a post-game interview when he spoke about the impact Skaggs had and how his presence was with them throughout the game.

“This was definitely for him and he was definitely watching over us tonight.”

The unbelievable night led to an outpouring of emotion from social media with many calling the tributes “bigger than baseball”.

Originally published as Los Angeles Angels pay emotionally charged tribute to Tyler Skaggs

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/us-sports/mlb/los-angeles-angels-pay-emotionally-charged-tribute-to-tyler-skaggs/news-story/bda7b9ae487b490feb322a7d3707cb49