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

By Andrew Mearns @mearnspsa

July 6, 2019

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.

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How do you summarize how much someone means to you in a series of photos? How do you properly say goodbye to your best friend? How do you capture such an amazing personality and spirit in a few short words? I honestly don’t know. All I can do is share with everyone just a glimpse of the countless good times I had with you. I loved you like a brother! We shared our highs and lows, our aspirations, our love for family and friends, our future plans together. You’ll always be with me in my heart and on my mind. Rest easy Skiggles. #RIP45

A post shared by Andrew Heaney (@heandog8) on Jul 4, 2019 at 12:59pm PDT

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:

Andrew Heaney’s tribute to his best friend, Tyler Skaggs. pic.twitter.com/zBqzCMdLtR

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) July 7, 2019

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.

.@Angels Pitcher Andrew Heaney honored Tyler Skaggs prior to his start in today's game. pic.twitter.com/gJpcIyqLiP

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 6, 2019