Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was only 27-years-old when he died tragically in early July. While the official cause of death won’t be known until the fall autopsy (police have ruled out foul play and suicide), his death has rattled his teammates. The Angels honored Skaggs Friday in their first home game since his passing, and it was an emotional night all around. His mom threw out the first pitch, everyone on the team wore his No. 45 jersey, and in a feel-good moment that wouldn’t even be believed in a movie, the team threw a combined no-hitter, just hours before what would’ve been his birthday.
Debbie Skaggs, First Pitch. ???? pic.twitter.com/OzxpjAsZVe
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 13, 2019
Bigger than sports ????
After the Angels threw a combined no-hitter, the players placed their No. 45 Tyler Skaggs jerseys on the pitcher’s mound. pic.twitter.com/vXYXj8L4PV
— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2019
Throwing a no hitter on the night the Angels wear number 45 for Tyler Skaggs is an all time “sports are the best” moment pic.twitter.com/LM12iMXNhz
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) July 13, 2019
The Angels were not messing around, and the numbers were never far from Skaggs memory. Mike Trout homered on the first pitch he saw, hitting it 454 feet (Skaggs wore No. 45). The Angels scored 7 runs in the first inning, and 13 runs overall (Skaggs birthday is 7/13). This was the first combined no-hitter in the state of California since July 13, 1991. That was the same day Skaggs was born, in, yep, California.
It was a magical night, an emotional tribute to a player that was lost far too soon, and a reminder that sports can be good.
In big NBA news, Russell Westbrook was shipped from OKC to Houston, making the Rockets a viable threat in the west again. Westbrook will be paired up with his former teammate, James Harden, in a lethal backcourt combination. It’s crazy to think the Thunder once had those two AND KEVIN DURANT, but couldn’t win a title. Westbrook did have a classy goodbye post on IG.
If you’re going to bring your kid to a baseball game and pay for the really expensive seats, you make sure they earn their keep. And that’s exactly what this Blue Jays dad did.
“A little help, Dad?” pic.twitter.com/nyWH2LMU72
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 29, 2019
The NFL offseason is supposed to be relaxing, as the regular season is an emotional and physical grind. And how does Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman relax? He takes it easy by JUMPING OVER BULLS in Pamplona.
Redskins CB Josh Norman is out here JUMPING OVER bulls in Pamplona pic.twitter.com/QzZhg02Any
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2019
The celebratory tour for the USWNT feels like it’s still going on, from the locker room celebrations in France to the ticker-tape parade in New York, an award-winning appearance at the ESPYs, and late-night TV appearances for the captains (in which they talked about how tiring the partying can be). America’s team is enjoying its moment in the spotlight, and rightfully so.
There was a tired/drunken rendition of “We Are the Champions” after their flight landed.
I think the USWNT may have been drinking on this flight pic.twitter.com/ECKgLarw7g
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) July 8, 2019
And legendary news outlet CNN ran a story with the very respectable headline of “Watch Alex Morgan Twerk!”, which is very bizarre to see from a hard news outlet. And it was little more than a snippet from the awesome post-game locker room celebration, captured by goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris on IG.
And to end on an adorable note here’s a 4-year-old singing the national anthem at a WNBA game. The toddler went viral earlier this year for a video of him performing the anthem before preschool graduation.
Just ADORABLE! Jake Schuman is only 4 years old but performed the National Anthem today at @TheFieldhouse like a PRO! Amazing job Jakel! pic.twitter.com/i0EodPBt41
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 10, 2019