Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who was found dead in his Southlake hotel room July 1, died from an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office says in a report released Friday.
According to the report, Skaggs had the powerful painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system along with alcohol.
Skaggs, who was in town with the Angels for a four-game series against the Rangers, was found unresponsive in his hotel room, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene and no foul play was suspected.
Skaggs' family released the following statement Friday afternoon.
Game has been postponed officially. Obviously. Do not have details on this tragedy at this moment. Game will not be made up during this homestand.
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) July 1, 2019
"We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol. 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. We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler's death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired Texas attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us."
Skaggs was "an important part of the Angels Family," the team said in a statement in July. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Carli, and his entire family during this devastating time."
Skaggs, who would have turned 28 on July 13, had been a regular in the Angels' starting rotation since late 2016, when he returned from Tommy John surgery. He struggled with injuries repeatedly over the past three seasons but persevered to become a valuable starter in Los Angeles' injury-plagued rotation.
The left-hander had just pitched the previous Saturday, allowing two runs in 4 1/3 innings in a 4-0 loss to Oakland. He was scheduled to start the series finale at Texas, on the Fourth of July holiday.
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Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was "deeply saddened" by Skaggs' death.
"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," Manfred said in a statement.
Skaggs is the first Angels player to die in-season since Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunken driver 10 years ago. The 22-year-old rookie right-hander was coming off his first start of the 2009 season, his fourth career game in the big leagues.
Pitcher Darryl Kile, who played in the majors for 12 seasons (1992-2002) was on the road with the St. Louis Cardinals when he died in June 2002 in his Chicago hotel room. Albert Pujols, now a member of the Angels, was Kile's teammate then.
Angels players and coaches who had arrived at the Rangers' ballpark for Monday night's series opener left about four hours before the scheduled start of the game to return to their hotel. The clubhouse was never opened to the media.
The Rangers' clubhouse also was closed when general manager Jon Daniels and manager Chris Woodward told their players what had happened and dismissed them.
Woodward described it as "one of those moments where you're just kind of numb" and said the Rangers were thinking about Skaggs' family and the Angels organization.
"There were a lot of pretty emotional guys in there, you could tell. Some guys knew him. (Jesse Chavez) had actually played with him in LA," Woodward said. "Some guys that didn't even know him were visibly shaken. You could tell."
Skaggs was born in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Woodland Hills, in the far western part of the sprawling San Fernando Valley. He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 2009, when the Angels drafted him in the first round.
The Angels traded Skaggs to Arizona in 2010, and he started his big league career with 13 appearances over two seasons for the Diamondbacks. The Angels reacquired him in December 2013, and he has won 25 games over five seasons with the club.
Skaggs started a career-high 24 games last season, going 8-10 with a 4.02 ERA. He missed playing time in April this season with a sprained ankle but came back strong.
Skaggs was part of the same Angels' draft class as Mike Trout, and they were roommates in the low minor leagues before Skaggs was traded to Arizona. They played on the same team in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2010.
Cleveland Indians ace Trevor Bauer, who played with Skaggs in the Diamondbacks organization, tweeted: "We came up together. We won together. We laughed and celebrated together. Today, we all lose and mourn together."
Skaggs' mother, Debbie, was the longtime softball coach at Santa Monica High School. She famously provided postgame tips on his pitching mechanics, even deep into his big-league career.
Skaggs grew up in Santa Monica, on the west side of the sprawling Los Angeles metroplex, but rooted for the Angels instead of the closer Dodgers.
AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham and Jay Cohen contributed to this report. NBC 5's Alice Barr also contributed to this report.
