Heavy-hearted Angels win their 1st game after Skaggs’ death
ARLINGTON, Texas — Tyler Skaggs weighed heavy on the minds of Mike Trout and all of the Los Angeles Angels in their first game since death of the much-loved 27-year-old pitcher.
“I can’t explain it man. Lost a teammate, lost a friend, a brother. Just got to get through it,” a visibly shaken Trout said after the Angels 9-4 win at Texas on Tuesday night.
“It’s tough. My first atbat, I get up there, all I do is think about him,” added the All-Star center fielder, who was in the same Angels draft class as Skaggs in 2009. “Just a different feeling, just in shock, it’s like walking around the hotel, you’re just always thinking about him.”
The Angels decided to play a day after the postponement of the series opener against the Rangers. Skaggs was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Texas on Monday. A cause of death has not been reported.
Before Angels starter Jose Suarez threw his first pitch in the bottom of the first inning, the left-hander appeared to write something in the dirt with his finger. He then touched the No. 45 painted on the back of the mound and tapped his heart.
Justin Bour pointed skyward after his two-run single in the sixth inning, when the Angels went ahead to stay with four runs to break a 3-3 tie. Kole Calhoun was more emphatic with his reaction when crossing home plate after his two-run homer in the eighth.
“No, it wasn’t normal. And it felt like there was much more urgency to win,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “It’s been a rough 24 hours, and we haven’t had a lot to smile about, so a win would give us something.”
There was a moment of silence before the game, with the players followed their coaches lined up outside the dugout. Pitchers Andrew Heaney and Cam Bedrosian held Skaggs’ No. 45 jersey.
“It was just kind of something unplanned. His jersey was hanging in his locker. We wanted to take him out there with us one more time,” Heaney said. “He was definitely my best friend. There’s probably about 100 other people out there that would say he was their best friend too. Because he treated everybody like that.”
Trout and his teammates said Skaggs, who brought