Angels throw combined no-hitter on night honoring Tyler Skaggs

The Los Angeles Angels couldn't have given Tyler Skaggs a better tribute.

Right-handers Taylor Cole and Felix Pena combined to throw a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners on Friday as the entire Angels roster wore No. 45 to honor the late pitcher, who died July 1.

"We have an angel protecting us from above," Pena said after the game, according to Maria Torres of The Los Angeles Times.

Following the 13-0 win, the Angels all removed their No. 45 jerseys and laid them on the mound.

It is the 11th no-hitter in Angels franchise history and the first since Jered Weaver did it in 2012.

It's also the first combined no-hitter thrown in California since the Baltimore Orioles held the Oakland Athletics hitless on July 13, 1991, according to STATS - which happens to be the day Skaggs was born.

Cole opened with two spotless innings before Pena took over for the final seven frames. They combined to strike out eight Mariners hitters on 103 pitches.

The lone baserunner was catcher Omar Narvaez, who drew a walk in the fifth inning to break up the perfect game.

Friday marked the team's first home contest since Skaggs' passing. His mother Debbie threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

"It all started with Debbie," Cole said, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. "She threw it right down the middle ... couldn't have started it with a better pitch."

The Angels jumped out to a huge lead by scoring seven runs in the first inning, including a two-run homer and a two-run double off the bat of Mike Trout. That would prove to be more than enough on a magical night in California.