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"It is with a heavy and broken heart that we confirm the
passing of Yordano Ventura," said Royals vice president of
communications and broadcasting Mike Swanson on the team website
(www.kansascity.royals.mlb.com).
Ventura, one of the hardest-throwing starting pitchers in the
majors, was 25.
In a separate incident on Sunday, former Major League third
baseman Andy Marte, once one of the best prospects in baseball,
was also killed in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic.
He was 33.
“Today is a very sad day for our entire game and particularly
for the many loyal fans in the Dominican Republic, the home of
both Yordano Ventura and Andy Marte," MLB commissioner Rob
Manfred said in a statement.
“Yordano was a key figure in the Royals' recent success. His
electric talent on the mound helped lead the Royals to two
American League pennants and the 2015 world championship.
"Andy was a respected member of six organizations who played
seven Major League seasons, including for the Cleveland Indians
from 2006-2010."
Ventura had spent his entire major league career in Kansas City,
helping the Royals to a World Series title in 2015 and posting a
13-8 record.
The right-hander, who signed with Kansas City as an amateur free
agent in 2008, established himself as a future ace by going
14-10 in his rookie season and finishing sixth in the 2014
American League Rookie of the Year Award voting.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto and Larry Fine in
Foxborough, Mass.; Editing by Clare Fallon and Andrew Both)
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