Lucas Giolito's moving tribute to the late Tyler Skaggs

July 1, 2019.

"Terrible day," said Lucas Giolito.

As the five-year anniversary of the date approaches, the Red Sox pitcher continues to have that Monday on his mind. He always will. Giolito makes sure of it, using his left arm as the built-in reminder.

Of all of Giolito's 11 tattoos (none of which are baseball-related), it is the second one he committed to - "Bring the Spark" - that is the most noticeable, stretching along his left forearm. When the decision to start getting ink started prior to the 2023 season, the pitcher knew what art would serve as a vehicle to express what was most important. And for the kid from Santa Monica, Calif., what was important was remembering that awful day.

It was the day Tyler Skaggs passed away.

Skaggs was the 27-year-old pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels who was found dead in a Texas hotel room after dying of asphyxia after aspirating his own vomit while under the influence of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol.

"I heard from a teammate of his on the Angels who used to be a teammate of mine on the White Sox, he gave me a call letting me know before the news broke and the story came out," Giolito remembered. "I was in shock, along with all his other friends and family. Really, really sad/

"It was hard to fathom. He had just got married to his wife Carli. I was at the wedding the offseason prior. They were talking about starting a family soon, and things like that. It was a really tough one to swallow for all of us, for sure."

For Giolito, Skaggs represented more than just part of his baseball brethren. In many ways, he was a mentor.

Skaggs, an eventual 2009 first-round pick, was a guy Giolito idolized, with both growing up in Santa Monica. And sharing the hometown was just the launching pad for the relationship, with the duo ultimately becoming friends through their shared agent, Ryan Hamill, on the way to becoming offseason workout partners.

"He was a guy I looked up to when I was young," Giolito said. " I’m talking Little League, going into high school, because he was a pitcher like me and he made it to the big leagues and had a very successful career before his passing. We had the same agent. We both had very close relationships with Ryan, so I was able to develop a close relationship with Tyler. Very early in my career, my first few years, in the minor leagues in the offseasons were in the same workout groups together. He would treat me all sorts of lessons. What it takes to grind, make it to the big leagues, etc. Also, working out with him made me see what a guy like this does. I got a chance to learn at a young age from him and other guys in the group the discipline you need to have, the hard work you need to put in the offseason to be able to go out there and be successful."

It was during those workouts that Skaggs' presence truly impacted Giolito. It was vibe and approach that the Red Sox pitcher carries each and every day on that left arm.

The success and talent of Skaggs was always an inspiration for Giolito, watching the Angels' pitcher truly start getting momentum as a relied-upon starter in the 2018 and 2019 seasons after making the majors as a 20-year-old.

But, for Giolito, it was those offseason sessions that offered the impact.

"He had such a positive attitude," Giolito said. "Obviously, he was going through a lot. But you wouldn’t have known. Any room he walked into he brought so much energy. He brought so much fun and excitement. Talking about our workout group, there would be days we would show up and guys would be dragging ass and he would start blasting the music and start saying, ‘C’mon boys, let’s bring the spark. Let’s get after it.’ That’s why I got the tattoo, ‘Bring the Spark.’ That was kind of his catch phrase.

"Something I took from him is that I’m always goofing around and dancing when I’m working out and I got that from him. Keeping it fun. Keeping it light. While also focusing on getting that work done. Remembering what we get to do for a living is pretty cool. He would always remind us of that. I think that’s something me and his teammates, friends and family want to continue to carry that legacy that he left. I know his mother, Debbie, and Carli, have the Tyler Skaggs Foundation, which is doing really wonderful work. Just continue to keep that spirit alive."

Thanks a well-placed tattoo, that's exactly what Lucas Giolito is doing.