Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura has died at the age of 25 after a car crash in his native Dominican Republic. (Getty)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura has died at the age of 25 in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic, the team says.
He is survived by his wife Mari Pili Sangiovanni and three children.
Few details of the fatal crash have been released. Ventura was the lone person in his car when he crashed on the Juan Adrián highway in San Jose de Ocoa, Colonel Jacobo Mateo Moquete, director of communications for the police in the Dominican Republic, said on Twitter.
Police in the Dominican Republic released graphic photos from the scene on Twitter, including one showing Ventura’s body, which has been cropped from the picture by Heavy. The photos show a heavily damaged white truck on its side along a curved road.
You can see the photos below:
(Colonel Jacobo Mateo Moquete/Twitter)
(Colonel Jacobo Mateo Moquete/Twitter)
(Colonel Jacobo Mateo Moquete/Twitter)
Ventura Spent His Entire Career With the Royals
(Getty)
“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 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.”
Yordano Ventura, whose fastball reached over 100 miles per hour, joined the Royals organization as an amateur free agent in 2008, and made his MLB debut in 2013. He was a native of Samaná, Dominican Republic.
Over his four-year career, Ventura had a 38-31 record with a 3.89 ERA and 470 strikeouts in 94 games. He won the 2015 World Series with the Royals.
He Is the Latest MLB Player Killed in an Off-Season Car Crash in the Dominican
He was friends with another baseball player killed in his prime in a crash in the Dominican Republic, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, who died in October 2014. (Getty)
The Royals pitcher died on the same day another baseball player, former Cleveland Indians infielder Andy Marte, was killed in a car crash, also in the Dominican Republic, Sports Illustrated reports.
Ventura was friends with another baseball player killed in his prime in a crash in the Dominican Republic, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, who died in October 2014.
He paid tribute to Taveras during the 2014 World Series.
An inscription honoring the late Oscar Taveras is seen on the hat of Yordano Ventura during Game Six of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium on October 28, 2014. (Getty)
Ventura, a rookie at the time, pitched one of the best games of his career with Taveras’ name inscribed on his hat, leading the Royals to a 10-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants by allowing just three hits over seven shutout innings.
“If he was still here, I would for sure be talking to him, and Oscar would be very happy for me and very proud. Oscar was a very humble guy and very likeable, and I’m going to miss him a lot,” Ventura said after that game, according to Sports Illustrated. “From the minute that I found out about Oscar, I said this game was going to be dedicated to him.”
The crash that killed Ventura remains under investigation.
