Milwaukee Brewers Stars Pay Tribute to Tyler Skaggs With ‘Love You Ty’ Jerseys

The Milwaukee Brewers are the latest team to pay tribute to departed Anaheim Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who passed away suddenly at the age of 27. Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich and Mike Moustakas were able to change the names on their jerseys for Players’ Weekend. When they headed out to the field Arizona at Miller Park, all three players were wearing jerseys that said “Love You Ty” on the back.

The tribute was made possible as part of the Players Weekend. This Major League Baseball celebration provides various players throughout the league the opportunity to put nicknames on the back of the jerseys of the monochromatic uniforms they are wearing.

The trio from the Brewers had decided upon previous versions of the jerseys back during spring training, but they were able to convince MLB to let them make a change after Braun came up with the idea.

“They make the decisions (on nicknames) for the Players Weekend far in advance, so it actually starts in spring training,” Braun said, according to the Journal Sentinel. “We got permission from MLB and the players association, and both were very accommodating in doing so, which we appreciate.

“It’s a cool way for us to be able to honor him. I spoke to his wife [Carli] today and she was really appreciative of it. It means the world to her. It’s cool for the three of us to be able to do it. I know some players from other clubs are doing similar things.”

Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room on July 1, shocking his teammates, fans and family members. The team was set to play against the Texas Rangers, but the game was postponed after news of the player’s death broke. Police noted at the time that they didn’t believe the death to be suicide or foul play.

With permission from the Brewers, Braun was able to attend Skaggs’ funeral in the Los Angeles area on July 22. He missed the Brewers’ game against Cincinnati at Miller Park that night, but it was important for him to attend considering that he was very close with Skaggs. The pair were even part of an offseason workout group.

“It’s our way of honoring him, letting his friends and family know we’re thinking about him always,” Braun said. “It started with a group text I was on with our workout crew. Then I brought it to ‘Moose’ and ‘Yeli,’ because they got to know him really well, too.

“For all of us, it’s something that’s very meaningful and emotional to have this opportunity to show how much he meant to all of us.”