Patrick Corbin Will Wear No. 45 in Honor of Former Teammate Tyler Skaggs
Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin will wear a No. 45 jersey on Tuesday to honor former teammate and Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died on Monday.
According to Nationals manager Dave Martinez, Corbin insisted on pitching against the Marlins in light of the death of his good friend. Corbin and Skaggs were both drafted in 2009 by the Angels, traded to Arizona together in 2010 and made their MLB debuts in 2012 with the Diamondbacks. Rather than wearing his normal No. 46, Corbin will don Skagg's number.
"They came up together. His best friend. He was emotional earlier. But he wants to pitch," Martinez said, according to USA Today's Gabe Lacques. "He feels like it’s what he needs to do. I told him, 'Hey, you have the support of myself, your players, your coaches, the organization and the fans. We’re all behind you, so do what you can.' We’ll keep an eye on him throughout the game.”
Corbin also wrote the number 45 on the mound to pay tribute to Skaggs.
Corbin was emotional following the game when addressing Skagg's death.
"It's been hard. Just been thinking of Tyler, his wife Carly, his family," Corbin said. "You just can't believe he's gone."
According to the Southlake Police Department, Skaggs was found unconscious and unresponsive in his Texas hotel room and was pronounced dead on the scene. No foul play is suspected, and the investigation is ongoing.
The Terrant County (Texas) Medical Examiner began an autopsy on Tuesday and estimated it would be complete on Oct. 2. The medical examiner will withhold any autopsy information until then per the family's request, according to USA Today's Gabe Lacques.
Skaggs last started Saturday in the Angels' 4–0 loss to the Athletics and went 28-38 with a 4.41 ERA in seven seasons in the league.
Members of the baseball community paid tribue to Skaggs online, including Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who played for the Marlins when Jose Fernandez passed away.
