Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Baseball Essential and was written by Tom Dorsa.

A few days ago, a friend of mine committed suicide. According to the Carrollton, Texas police department, the lonesome middle-aged man passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, leaving little but a memory of a solitary, quirky personality and the wisdom he tried to pass on to me and many others. Whether he knew it or not, he touched many lives and left an indelible mark on those around him through his pure and delightful peculiarity.

About 60 hours later, news broke of the passing of Los Angeles Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs. The Southlake, Texas police department found the 27-year-old unresponsive at the Hilton hotel in Southlake, about 20 minutes north of Globe Life Park in Arlington, where the Angels were set to kick off a series against the Texas Rangers on Monday afternoon. Skaggs was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy to find out the cause of death — as foul play, as well as suicide, were ruled out — is scheduled for Tuesday.

In the aftermath of his sudden, tragic death, the game was postponed. It was the proper move and the same one ordered by the Miami Marlins during the afternoon of Jose Fernandez‘s death, but like the cancelled Marlins game nearly three years prior, the status of the contest was secondary to the response to the surprising passing of the pitcher.

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About Matt Musico

Matt Musico currently manages Chin Music Baseball and contributes to The Sports Daily. His past work has been featured at numberFire, Yahoo! Sports and Bleacher Report. He’s also written a book and created an online class about how to get started as a sports blogger. Check those out and more helpful tips on sports blogging at his website.

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