Royals confirm death of pitcher Yordano Ventura

The Kansas City Royals confirmed that Yordano Ventua, who signed with the organization as a teenager and pitched brilliantly during the team’s dash to its first World Series in 29 years, died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic. He was 25.

“Our prayers right now are with Yordano’s family as we mourn this young man’s passing,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement. “He was so young and so talented, full of youthful exuberance and always brought a smile to everyone he interacted with. We will get through this as an organization, but right now is a time to mourn and celebrate the life of Yordano.”

A hard-throwing right-hander, Ventura made his Royals debut at the end of the 2013 season. He made 30 starts in his first full season and finished sixth in the voting for the American League rookie of the year. He pitched in 10 games during the Royals’ postseason runs of 2014 and 2015. The Royals won both games he started during the 2014 World Series. 

%{[ data-embed-type=”oembed” data-embed-id=”https://twitter.com/al_haig/status/823213248107474944″ data-embed-element=”aside” ]}%
%{[ data-embed-type=”oembed” data-embed-id=”https://twitter.com/jeremyscheuch/status/823206711938924546″ data-embed-element=”aside” ]}%