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Post by Admin on Jul 18, 2019 17:55:57 GMT
Before Taylor Cole and Felix Pena combined to no-hit the Mariners in an unbelievable showing given the circumstances, the Angels touchingly paid tribute to the late Tyler Skaggs on Friday night in their first game at Angel Stadium since he passed away on July 1 in Southlake, Texas. Angels players all wore Skaggs’ No. 45 jersey and Skaggs was honored in a pregame ceremony that featured his mother, Debbie, throwing a perfect strike on a ceremonial first pitch to Andrew Heaney. Skaggs’ wife, Carli, his stepbrother, Garret, and his stepfather, Dan Ramos, also were at the mound with Debbie, near a framed Skaggs jersey placed there by Mike Trout and Heaney. Cole said it was that first pitch that set the tone for an unforgettable night. “It was unbelievable," Cole said. "She went out there and threw an absolute perfect pitch. It couldn’t have been better. No matter how great of an effort or how great of an athlete she is. I heard she even used to catch Tyler’s bullpens. She was a great athlete but she threw a great pitch. It was really cool to see his family before the game. It set the tone for the rest of the way.” A tribute video of Skaggs' career was shown on the big screen, while a 45-second moment of silence was held with both the Angels and Mariners lined up on the foul lines. “He was in the prime of his life and the prime of his career -- it’s very tough,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “I walked into the ballpark today and saw the flowers and signs out front and that was special. I went for a run on the field and saw Tyler’s picture on the board. It brings back some emotion, but I think it’s nice to have his family here to honor them in front of Angels fans.”
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Post by Admin on Aug 31, 2019 17:55:31 GMT
Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs had a combination of alcohol and opioids in his system at the time of his death, which was ruled accidental, according to a toxicology report released Friday by the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. Skaggs was found dead at age 27 in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas, on July 1, the day the Angels were to begin a three-game series against the Rangers in Arlington. That day's game was postponed as a result. The report released by Tarrant County found that Skaggs had the painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system, as well as alcohol, and that his death was caused by "terminal aspiration of gastric contents." "I can just say that we were saddened by that report when it came out and completely heartbroken,” general manager Billy Eppler said. “Everyone is searching for facts. Everyone in the organization wants facts, which is why we are actively cooperating with an investigation. I think it goes without saying I can't comment more on the investigation until the police conclude their investigation. But what I can say is that it is hard to find the words just how difficult the last couple months have been on everybody in his organization.”
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Post by Admin on Sept 1, 2019 17:54:49 GMT
The family of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs says it was startled to learn that a club employee “may” be part of the investigation into the 27-year-old’s death from an accidental drug overdose. A Texas coroner said in a report made public Friday that Skaggs died after choking on his vomit with a toxic mix of alcohol and the powerful painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system. Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in the Dallas area July 1 before the start of what was supposed to be a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. The first game was postponed before the teams played the final three games. “That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League Baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much,” the family said less than two hours after the coroner’s report was made public. “We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them.” The statement thanked police in the Dallas suburb of Southlake for the investigation and said they “were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels.” The family said it hired Texas attorney Rusty Hardin to try to determine how Skaggs obtained the drugs.
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Post by Admin on Sept 2, 2019 7:26:49 GMT
Mike Trout said Saturday he was surprised to hear the results of the toxicology report released by the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. The report, which was released Friday, confirmed that Skaggs had a mix of alcohol and opioids in his system at the time of his death on July 1 at the Angels team hotel in Southlake, Texas. “Obviously, it doesn’t change my view on Tyler,” said Trout, who along with Skaggs, was selected by the Angels in the 2009 Draft. “He made a big impact on my life, this team. I was kind of shocked when the news came out like that. That’s tough, but it doesn’t change the feeling I have for him and the way he impacted my life.” Trout said he was unaware of Skaggs taking opioids such as oxycodone and fentanyl, which were both found in his system. “Obviously, if I knew I would definitely have said something or did something,” Trout said. “It’s tough. You love Tyler. We didn’t know he was going through this. Just a tough situation when this came out. Tough to put your mind to it. But it doesn’t change the way I feel about Tyler and the way he impacted my life.” Trout and his teammates did not know the report was going to come out on Friday, which caused the clubhouse to be closed to the media before the game. Trout also said he didn’t hear anything about Skaggs’ cause of death until the report came out. “When stuff comes out, you want to know if it’s true,” Trout said. “I don’t really know anything specifically about what he took or what kind of drugs they were. I stay away from all that stuff. I couldn’t even tell you what fentanyl is. I just heard it’s pretty dangerous." “It’s difficult,” Trout said. “You obviously have a job to do, to go out there and perform. But obviously things happen in life. When you have a relative or a teammate pass away, it’s tough. Mentally it’s a grind to get over it. Every time you do something, Tyler pops into your mind. Every day I still think about him. It’s tough.”
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Post by Admin on Oct 16, 2020 21:23:30 GMT
A former official with the Los Angeles Angels baseball team has been indicted on drug distribution charges in the 2019 fentanyl overdose death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, federal prosecutors said. A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted Eric Prescott Kay on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury, according to documents filed with the US District Court in Fort Worth. Kay is a former communications director for the Angels. The first charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, and the second count 20 years to life, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas. The pitcher died by choking on vomit after using drugs and alcohol, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. High levels of opioids, including fentanyl, oxycodone and oxymorphone, were found in his system, as well as alcohol, according to toxicology results. The indictment said Kay, in June 2019, "did knowingly and intentionally distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, and the use of said substance resulted in the death and serious bodily injury" of Skaggs. Kay and others also conspired to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl from about 2017 to July 2019, according to the indictment.
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