Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died of accidental overdose, coroner says

The 27-year-old pitcher died on a road trip to Texas in early July.

Tyler Skaggs pitching in 2018.
Tyler Skaggs pitching in 2018.Read moreJohn Sleezer / MCT

Tyler Skaggs, the Angels pitcher who died in early July during a road series in Texas, died of an accidental overdose according to a Tarrant County medical examiner’s report released Friday.

Skaggs, 27, had fentanyl and oxycodone in his system, along with alcohol. The report said he choked on his own vomit, according to the Los Angeles Times, and that there were no signs of trauma.

The Skaggs family released a statement, obtained by the Times.

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 attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us.

In the statement, the family says they “were shocked to learn that [Skaggs’ death] may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels.” The family has obtained a Houston-based attorney, Rusty Hardin. Hardin said he and the family “want to know how it came about that those drugs were ingested and whether or not others are responsible for what happened.”

Skaggs died on July 1. His body was found in his Southlake, Texas, hotel room around midday when he did not report to the Rangers’ ballpark in Arlington on time.