NEWSLETTER
MLB Notes — We’re approaching the fifth anniversary of the death of Los Angeles Angeles pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs died on July 1, 2019, due to an overdose of fentanyl.
Remembering Tyler Skaggs, Five Years Later
In the five years since his passing, former Angels communications director Eric Kay was convicted of the distribution of a controlled substance, resulting in death and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Kay is a year and a half into a 22-year sentence in federal prison.
But Kay’s life goes on. Skaggs, who ingested the fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill that he received from Kay, resulting in him choking to death on his vomit in a Texas hotel while the Angels were in town for a series with the Rangers, wasn’t afforded the same. Neither were the ones closest to him. The Athletic’s Sam Blum wrote a fantastic feature that includes stories and commentary from Skaggs’ wife, mother, and pitcher Andrew Heany, Skaggs’ best friend.
“I think about Tyler all the time,” his wife Carli told Blum. “I think about the family that we’d have. How many kids we’d have? Just what our life would be like right now. All the time, I think about it.”
“Everything reminds me of him,” Carli said. “I talk to him. Sometimes I talk out loud. Sometimes I talk to myself.”
Orioles Lose Kyle Bradish to Tommy John Surgery
Baltimore Orioles starter Kyle Bradish underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. Orioles GM Mike Elias told reporters before Baltimore’s game with the New York Yankees that Bradish had an internal brace installed to support his UCL during the operation performed Wednesday by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Tex.
Bradish left his start last week against the Phillies after five innings due to elbow discomfort. That came after Bradish missed the first month of the season with a UCL sprain that he suffered in January. Returning to the O’s rotation in May, he was stellar, posting a 2.75 ERA with 53 strikeouts before the latest elbow injury.
Bradish becomes the fourth Baltimore pitcher to undergo season-ending surgery. The Orioles are now without Bradish, John Means (Tommy John surgery), Tyler Wells (UCL repair), and Félix Bautista (Tommy John Surgery). While not a season-ending surgery, reliever Danny Coulombe had surgery to remove bone chips in his left elbow. He could return in September.
With all of the injuries to their pitching staff and the third-best record in baseball on June 20, Elias was asked on Wednesday if he felt an elevated sense of urgency to acquire pitching reinforcements ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
“I’ve got a sense of urgency to win baseball games, and part of that is just taking care of the whole organization. The deadline is the deadline, even before we have injuries. I think it would have been pretty naive to think that the injury number would be zero, especially with some of these guys coming into camp banged up. So this isn’t coming out of left field because of that.
“We’re looking at the whole picture when it comes to this trade deadline — where our team’s at, what our health looks like, where we can upgrade, what the market looks like, which teams are selling, what are they asking for. It’s so complicated. It’s just kind of hard for me to make sweeping statements about it, especially in June. But we have, what I think, is a really good, hard-working front office, and we’re going to do our job.”
Translation: We will try, but if we don’t, remember it’s hard. We love our farm system and don’t want to blow it up to acquire rental arms.
Hey, Mike, can I interest you in a package of Garrett Crochet and Michael Kopech, who have some team control and can help you this season? Think about it.
College World Series Finals are Set
The college baseball national championship chase is down to the final two teams: Texas A&M and Tennessee.
The Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas A&M Aggies will compete in the 2024 Men’s College World Series championship. Both teams are seeking their first NCAA Tournament championship. Tennessee and Texas A&M went undefeated in the round-robin and secured their spots in the championship series with impressive wins.
Tennessee defeated Florida State 7-2, while Texas A&M defeated Florida 6-0. Although the two teams did not face each other during the regular season, Tennessee previously beat Texas A&M 7-4 in the SEC tournament.
Here’s everything you need to know:
