Andrew Heaney's first pitch was a touching tribute to Tyler Skaggs

Saturday night was an emotional start for Andrew Heaney. It would be his first outing on the mound since the passing of his good friend, Tyler Skaggs. The two had been teammates in the Angels' rotation since 2015, and it was going to tough for Heaney to pitch without thoughts of Skaggs crossing his mind.

Perhaps to put some of the feelings at ease, Heaney found a wonderful way to pay tribute to Skaggs. If there was one pitch that he was known for, it was his wicked curve.

Heaney is not nearly the curveball specialist that Skaggs was, but regardless, his first pitch of the game on Saturday against the Astros was a curve of his own:

Perfect. It doesn't matter that it was a ball. Skaggs would have loved it.

The handwritten No. 45 written behind the mound was a nice touch, too.