Rangers honor Skaggs with moment of silence

ARLINGTON -- Rangers catcher Jeff Mathis understands what the Angels are going through with the passing of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

Mathis was on the Angels in 2009 when pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident. He was also with the Marlins in '16 when Jose Fernandez lost his life in a boating accident.

So, Mathis knew something was amiss when Rangers manager Chris Woodward called the team together on Monday afternoon while they were supposed to be getting ready to play the Angels. Woodward let the players know that Skaggs had been found dead in his hotel room on Monday afternoon.

“You always expect the worst, and I've been sick to my stomach ever since,” Mathis said. “It brought up some tough memories of a couple of different occasions. I feel so bad for them over there. Feel terrible for those guys."

Monday’s game was postponed. The Rangers and Angels returned to the field on Tuesday, although Texas players admitted that it was tough.

“Obviously, never been in this kind of situation,” Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo said. “You never want to be in that situation. It was tough news to find that out. I feel for the other team. I feel for them. It’s going to be a strange game today. I think it’s going to be probably a little more quiet than usual. I definitely feel for the Angels and that organization and his family. Even our clubhouse was really shaken up. I couldn’t imagine what their clubhouse was like.”

The Rangers were prepared to wait another day if the Angels weren’t ready to play on Tuesday. But the Halos wanted to get back to their routine and take a break from dealing with the emotional turbulence that they were going through as a team.

“I don’t know that sitting in a hotel room would do them any good,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “There is no handbook for this. You’ve got to go with your honest feelings. If you do that, you are not going to be wrong.”

The Angels held a press conference before Tuesday’s game at Globe Life Park. Ausmus, Angels general manager Billy Eppler, club president John Carpino and owner Arte Moreno spoke while Angels players sat to the side. Rangers owner Ray Davis, general manager Jon Daniels, assistant GM Josh Boyd and Woodward were also in attendance as a show of support for the Angels. Moreno thanked the Rangers for their courtesy and understanding during the Halos' difficult time.

“I can only imagine what the other side’s going through, but it’s uncharted territory for everybody,” Woodward said. “It’s not something we deal with on a daily basis. All we can do is just, before the game, lend our support in any way to that organization, and do whatever they need or facilitate anything.

“Both teams are going to play like they normally would, but there’s still going to be something over the stadium that’s a little different. There’s nothing you can do about that. We’ll just be respectful to what they’re dealing with, and at the end of the day, when it’s over with, anything that we can do -- I’ve reached out to Brad and just said, 'Anything we can do to help out in any way, please let us know.'"

The Rangers held a moment of silence in honor of Skaggs before Tuesday’s game. The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation is also donating the proceeds of the Tuesday’s Texas 2 Split Raffle to the Angels Baseball Foundation to honor Skaggs. Daniels said that Monday’s game will be made up as part of a doubleheader, when the Angels return on Aug. 19-21.

“It’s a sad day,” outfielder Delino DeShields said. “Coming out and trying to compete in the game is tough. It was good to have a day to regroup and refocus. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to his family and their organization. You go out and compete. You’ve got to do the best you can to respect the game and respect everything that is going on.”