Los Angeles Angels: Remembering Nick Adenhart Two Years Later

On April 8, 2009, Angels’ pitcher Nick Adenhart was on top of the world.

He had just pitched six scoreless innings against the Oakland A’s and left the game with his team leading 4-0. Adenhart was the newest pitcher to the Angels’ starting rotation, having earned the spot during an impressive spring training.

There was great anticipation leading up to that game. It was Adenhart’s 2009 season debut and only the fourth start of his fledgling big league career.

Watching Adenhart pitch that night, I saw the youthful passion in his eyes. Growing up, he had always dreamed of playing professional baseball. Adenhart had spent four years with the Angels organization, and it appeared that all of his hard work was finally paying off. This young prospect who had faced numerous setbacks in his road to the major leagues was coming into his own.

Despite watching my team lose that night, I was enthusiastic about the new season. They had just won back-to-back AL West titles, and the addition of Adenhart greatly enhanced an already deep pitching staff.

I went to bed that night excited for the Angels and for Adenhart.

The next morning I woke up in shock. I couldn’t believe what I read.

Just hours after his remarkable season debut, Nick Adenhart was involved in a fatal car crash. He was riding in a Mitsubishi Eclipse with three other friends when they were hit by a drunk driver. The intoxicated driver’s minivan broadsided the Eclipse and sent it crashing into a telephone pole. Adenhart was one of three who did not survive the accident.

The minivan driver fled the scene of the crash on foot, but was captured thirty minutes later. He had been driving with a suspended license and had a blood alcohol level that was more than twice the legal limit.

The loss of Adenhart was devastating. The tragedy was deeply felt by family, friends and the entire baseball community. The Halos cancelled their next game and held a memorial service in honor of the young pitcher. The reaction of his teammates showed the genuine love they had for Nick.

“I just wanted to go out there and pump him on the chest,” Torii Hunter said. “I was teary-eyed. It’s tough, man. He was a great kid, loved him and he’s going to be missed. He’s never going to be forgotten in this organization.”

“I’m proud to know him,” fellow pitcher Dustin Moseley said. “I’m sure God’s proud to know him right now, too.”

Jered Weaver, who now writes Adenhart’s initials in the mound before each game, had a very close relationship with his lost teammate. “A day has not gone by where I haven't thought about Nick. I think that's going to be a for-the-rest-of-my-life thing. He's too good a person not to remember.”

The memory of Nick Adenhart stayed with the Angels the entire 2009 season.

A memorial was set up in front of Angel Stadium, where fans put flowers, photos and team paraphernalia. The Angels placed a patch on their jersey that showed Adenhart’s No. 34 and displayed a large picture of Nick on the center field wall.

When the Angels clinched the AL West title with a late September win, the players all ran to the wall. The team that had hung Adenhart’s jersey in the dugout and carried it with them on every road trip did not want to celebrate their victory without him.

It’s been two years, but the loss of Adenhart is still visible. His picture still rests on the center field wall. Players still remember their old teammate and reminisce the days when he was with them. Fans still wonder how great of a pitcher he might have been.

While losing the youthful pitcher has been sad for the Angels, the tragedy of Nick Adenhart is more than just a baseball story. Adenhart was a determined, humorous and fun-loving guy who died at the age of 22. He was a young man who had his whole life ahead of him.

That life was taken away when someone chose to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. Nick Adenhart died because someone broke the law and acted both recklessly and irresponsibly.

The loss of Nick Adenhart shows just how precious and fragile life is—that in one second you can be on top of the world and the next second you can be gone from this world.

Following his death, Adenhart’s family released a touching statement:

"Nick's family expresses sincere gratitude for all the help the Angels have provided. He lived his dream and was blessed to be part of an organization comprised of such warm, caring, and compassionate people. The Angels were his extended family… He will always be in everyone's hearts forever."

Two years later, Nick Adenhart is still in our hearts.

He may be gone, but he is not forgotten.