ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels all put on Tyler Skaggs’ No. 45 jerseys and stood solemnly on the field while his mother, Debbie, delivered a heartbreakingly perfect strike on the first pitch.
The Angels then proceeded to play their heavy hearts out in their first home game since their beloved pitcher’s death.
Two Angels pitchers combined to throw the 11th no-hitter in franchise history, and Mike Trout drove in six runs in a stunning 13-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
On the day before what would have been Skaggs’ 28th birthday, these astonishing Angels played a practically perfect game with his memory in their minds.
“Tonight was in honor of him,” Trout said. “He was definitely looking over us tonight. He’s probably up there saying we’re nasty. What an unbelievable game to be a part of. I’m speechless. This is the best way possible to honor him tonight. It was pretty crazy.”
This tribute ended up exceeding all logic and expectation. Still reeling from the loss of their left-handed starter early last week in Texas, the Angels somehow excelled in every aspect of the game while wearing replicas of Skaggs’ red jersey.
The Angels scored seven runs on eight hits in the first inning alone, with Trout delivering a two-run homer and a two-run double. Taylor Cole opened with two perfect innings before Félix Peña came on for seven more, allowing only a fifth-inning walk in the performance of his life.
After the final out, the Angels celebrated on the field before pulling off their No. 45 jerseys and laying them all on the mound. They stood in a reverential circle around the shirts, which nearly covered every inch of the dirt.
Before the game, Skaggs’ presence was strong in Anaheim.
“He’s still a part of the team, even though he’s not here,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said before the game.
His jersey hung in his untouched locker in the clubhouse, his pristine cleats and gloves ready for a ballgame. The big stereo system in the room’s center is silent because the affable left-hander who controlled the Angels’ musical choices is no longer here.
And on the far wall of the clubhouse, two photos of Skaggs now flank his competitive catchphrase printed in tall letters: “WE’RE NASTY.”
“He’s the life of the team, honestly,” said infielder Zack Cozart, Skaggs’ teammate for the past two seasons. “We’re family in here. We’re around each other all day, every day. You just hurt so much for Tyler’s family. ... It’s so sudden and so tragic. Forty-five will always be in my mind. That’s how it’s always going to be for all of us.”
The baseball season’s relentless pace forces the Angels to heal while they play, and they went back to work after a somber All-Star break during which Skaggs was honored at the game in Cleveland.
“In some respects, sometimes keeping busy can help,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. “I don’t really know if that’s the right way to go about it, because you do need to grieve. Everybody has those moments, personal to them. I’ve had a couple of those myself. But for a lot of us, seeing each other again is nice.”
During a poignant pregame ceremony, both teams lined the basepaths as Skaggs’ family took the mound led by Debbie Skaggs, the longtime softball coach at Santa Monica High School.
Debbie Skaggs threw a brisk strike to Andrew Heaney, Skaggs’ best friend and fellow Angels rotation member.
The Angels then battered Seattle starter Mike Leake in a surreal seven-run, eight-hit first inning highlighted by Trout, who has been relentless at the plate ever since Skaggs’ death.
Trout crushed a 454-foot, two-run homer to left-center on the first pitch he saw from Leake. The two-time AL MVP appeared to look toward Skaggs’ family in the stands as he crossed the plate after an unusually long home run trot.
Cole also opened flawlessly on the mound. The reliever pounded his chest and pointed at the sky when Kole Calhoun caught the final out of the second.
While the Angels eventually will settle into the rhythms of the season, Skaggs’ presence will be felt throughout the stadium, from his intact locker to the large likeness of the well-liked pitcher now displayed prominently on the center field wall.
A memorial created by fans in front of the Big A’s main entrance has grown to the size of a pitcher’s mound, with hats, signs and baseballs and other Angels memorabilia delivered to the stadium by heartbroken fans over the past 10 days. Most of the Angels saw the memorial in person for the first time when they returned from a difficult road trip and the ensuing All-Star break.
“I think guys will become emotional again, because it is still very fresh,” Ausmus said. “That’s fine. We’re human beings. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
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