Normally, I’d wish the members of Athletics Nation a happy Friday, but we’re heading into this weekend on a sad note.
On July 1, 2019, America’s opioid epidemic visited tragedy upon the baseball world when Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas prior to a series opener with the Texas Rangers. His autopsy indicated that fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol were in his system and led to his death by choking on vomit. He was 27.
Yesterday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reported that a jury convicted Eric Kay, a former Angels communications director, on two charges: distributing oxycodone and fentanyl to Skaggs since “beginning or before 2017,” and providing him with the drugs that he overdosed on (non-paywalled link to other sources below).