Game to Honor Late Pitcher: 'You Can't Make This Stuff Up'

It was going to be an emotional night anyway in Anaheim—the first home game for the Los Angeles Angels since the unexpected death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. First came the pregame tribute with his family, then his mother throwing out the first pitch, then each member of the team taking the field wearing No. 45 in his honor, notes ESPN. The emotion continued into the game, when the Angels exploded for 7 runs in the first inning. And then, incredibly, it ended with the Angels registering a no-hitter on a night they were honoring a pitcher.

"You can't make this stuff up," says Mike Trout, who homered on the first pitch he saw in the 13-0 win over the Mariners. It's "one of the most special moments I've been a part of on a major league field in 25 years," adds manager Brad Ausmus. "You feel like it's partly Skaggsy's no-hitter." Pitcher Taylor Cole threw the first two innings and Felix Pena the final seven in the combined no-hitter, per CBS News. (The cause of death for the 27-year-old is still unclear.)