The
Los Angeles Angels have confirmed pitcher
Tyler Skaggs died before Monday’s game against the
Texas Rangers. He was due to turn 28 on 13 July.
“It is with great sorrow that we report Tyler Skaggs passed away earlier today in Texas,” an Angels statement said. “Tyler has, and always will be, an important part of the Angels Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Carli and his entire family during this devastating time.”
Skaggs, who was from the Los Angeles area, was selected by the Angels in the first-round of the 2009 draft. He was later traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks but rejoined the Angels in 2013. He was having one of the best seasons of his career in 2019 and was part of the team’s starting rotation.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed his sorrow at Skaggs’s death. “I am deeply saddened by today’s tragedy in Texas,” he said in a statement. “All of us at Major League Baseball extend our deepest condolences to Tyler’s wife Carli, their family, their friends and all of his Angels’ teammates and colleagues. We will support the Angels’ organization through this most difficult period, and we will make a variety of resources available to Tyler’s teammates and other members of the baseball family.”
The Angels cancelled Monday night’s game against the Rangers after news of Skaggs’s death was announced. The news comes 10 years after another Angels pitcher, Nick Adenhart, was killed at the age of 22 by a drunk driver.