Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs, 27, died Monday in a hotel room several hours before his team was scheduled to play the Texas Rangers, team and local officials said.
Skaggs’s death prompted the cancellation of the game after lineups had already been announced.
Angels officials declined to comment beyond a statement announcing the death. “Tyler has, and always will be, an important part of the Angels family,” the statement said.
Angels statement on the passing of Tyler Skaggs. pic.twitter.com/6XA2Vu1uWV
The police in Southlake, Tex., said they had found Skaggs dead in a hotel room after responding to a call about an unconscious male. They said they did not suspect foul play. A spokeswoman for the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office said it had not yet received Skaggs’s body.
Skaggs was in his seventh season in the majors, his fifth with the Angels; he was 7-7 with a 4.29 earned run average in 15 starts this season. His last start was Saturday at home, a 4-0 loss to Oakland.
He posted a photo on Instagram on Sunday showing his teammates outside their plane wearing cowboy hats ahead of the series in Texas. “Howdy, y’all,” the caption read, followed by a smiley-face emoji with a cowboy hat.
Kevin Draper is a sports business reporter, covering the leagues, owners, unions, stadiums and media companies behind the games. Prior to joining The Times, he was an editor at Deadspin. @kevinmdraper
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