# Angels pitcher found dead in hotel room \[Tyler Skaggs\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [July 2, 2019, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420 "2019-07-02T21:45:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/1 "2019-07-02T21:45:04Z")
Tyler Skaggs, a starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Texas Monday afternoon, where his team was scheduled to play the Texas Rangers. The cause of death is unknown, but an autopsy is scheduled for this afternoon. The game between the Angels and Rangers was postponed yesterday. Skaggs was scheduled to pitch against the Rangers on July 4 and would have turned 29 on July 13. > **[CBS Texas - Breaking Local News, First Alert Weather & I-Team Investigations](https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/)** > > Latest breaking news from CBS11 KTVT-TV | KTXA-TV. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/2 "2019-07-02T23:28:08Z")
This was mentioned in the MLB thread already but it’s worth its own thread. It’s a shame when a young person with promise passes, I’m curious to see autopsy results. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/3 "2019-07-02T23:32:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > This was mentioned in the MLB thread already but it’s worth its own thread. It’s a shame when a young person with promise passes, I’m curious to see autopsy results. Everyone is saying that no foul play or suspicious circumstances are suspected. Not sure if that rules out overdose or not, but people are signaling that it’s probably one of those fluke things where a otherwise healthy person up and dies from a undiagnosed heart/brain thing. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/4 "2019-07-02T23:54:05Z")
Skaggs’ death reminds me of Darryl Kile’s death. Kile was about five years older and was a veteran player, but he was still only 33. Kile died from coronary disease. It’s shocking when an active player dies suddenly. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/5 "2019-07-03T00:38:03Z")
Pitchers are prone to blood clots. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/6 "2019-07-03T16:28:20Z")
FWIW, the local news are reporting that it’s not foul play or suicide. So that narrows down the cause a bit. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/7 "2019-08-31T01:16:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died from an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol, a medical examiner in Texas has ruled. > > The 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in the Dallas area July 1. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a report released Friday that **Skaggs had the powerful painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone, along with alcohol, in his system.** > **[Coroner: Opioids and alcohol in Skaggs' system](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27501379/coroner-skaggs-died-accidental-overdose)** > > An autopsy report released Friday showed that the opioids fentanyl and oxycodone, along with alcohol, were in Tyler Skaggs' system at the time of his death. The Los Angeles Angels pitcher was 27. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/8 "2019-08-31T01:46:37Z")
So not a blood clot. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/9 "2019-08-31T02:04:48Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So not a blood clot. He didnt die of drugs nor alcohol; he choked to death on his own vomit like a 60’s rockstar. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/10 "2019-08-31T05:13:17Z")
Are they 100% certain whos vomit he choked on? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/11 "2019-08-31T06:12:03Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Are they 100% certain whos vomit he choked on? A bulimic was seen fleeing the scene. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/12 "2019-08-31T06:15:01Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Are they 100% certain whos vomit he choked on? True: Scotland Yard STILL doesn’t have the facilities…you can’t dust for vomit. Or get DNA from stomach contents. On a serious note, what a horrible way to die. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/13 "2019-09-03T12:59:19Z")
I remember noting that his teammate’s reactions (at least the ones that ESPN and what-not shared) were a little muted, and distinctly lacking in the 'What an unexpected shock! Makes you think it could happen to any one of us" area. That, combined with the deliberately vague way the cause of death was reported, made me suspect the story was something like this. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-pitcher-found-dead-in-hotel-room-tyler-skaggs/836420/14 "2019-09-03T16:45:32Z")
[Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Skaggs) on Skagg’s death[ > [@](#): > > On August 30, 2019, the Tarrant County (Texas) Medical Examiner announced that the autopsy performed on Skaggs found a mix of fentanyl, oxycodone, ethanol, and alcohol in his system. The opioids are banned by MLB. Skaggs had a blood alcohol level of 0.122, far above the legal limit for impairment which is 0.08.The examination concluded that Skaggs died of asphyxia after choking on his own vomit, and his death was ruled an accident.