A Tyler Skaggs mural has gone up in Venice Beach, California, after the young baseball star’s untimely death.
The beautiful piece of artwork shows just how much his presence meant to the community and how the loss is being mourned not just by baseball fans, but by all Angelinos.
Beyond the mural, the Los Angeles Angels have also pledged to wear a commemorative patch in his honor for the rest of this season.
Skaggs was found unresponsive on July 1 at the team’s hotel. He was just 27 years old.
Skaggs and the Angels had had gone to Dallas, Texas, on Sunday, June 30, in preparation for their four game showdown against the Texas Rangers. Just hours before the game was set to begin on Monday, July 1, Skaggs was found in his hotel room unconscious. The game, obviously, was immediately postponed. Unfortunately, officials announced Skaggs’ passing shortly thereafter.
According to the Southlake Police Department, authorities do not believe foul play was involved in Skaggs’ passing. An autopsy was performed on Tuesday, July 2, however a public autopsy report will not be released until October of this year. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner says this is per the family’s request.
Billy Eppler, general manager of the Angels, issued a statement in response to the tragic incident.
“It’s just a very tragic day for the Angels, a tragic day for his wife, Carli [Skaggs], his mother Debbie [and for] Carli’s mom,” he said. “Just a tragic day for everybody because this young man touched a lot of peoples’ lives, and you’re going to start to see the impact he’s had on people in the coming days.”
Brad Ausmus, the manager of the Angels, also offered a bit of insight into how the team was coping with the incident.
“The team all got together, a couple times, and some of the guys spoke,” he said. “But I think most importantly, in the end, we were able to talk about Tyler and laugh about some of the stories and some of the goofy things he did [and] listen to some of his music. So, it was good.”
Los Angeles is not set to play at home against until July 12, after the All-Star Break comes and goes. That said, when the team does finally return, it will honor their fallen teammate at Angels Stadium in similar fashion to the tribute that Nick Adenhart.
Adenhart, of course, was killed three days into the 2009-2010 season when he and two friends fell victim to a drunk driver. Adenhart was only 22 years old at the time.
Tragically, just three months prior to his death, Skaggs and his wife gave a very heartfelt and optimistic interview about what they hoped their futures would hold.
The pair had just gotten married last December and felt like their lives together were just beginning.
“Tyler wants his children to be able to see him pitch,” Carli Skaggs told Wealth Management during the interview.
Beyond their hope for children, the Skaggs family also opened up about how they had just purchased a home in California and were beginning to save money for things to come.
Oddly enough, even getting married was not an easy process for the couple. A few days leading up to the big event, they were informed that Southern California was consumed by fires and that their particular locale had fallen victim to the blazes. As if that was not bad enough, rain was on the horizon – with the thread of mudslides.
Ultimately, the couple was able to make the best of the situation and got married despite the hardships.
Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
