The baseball world is suffering another loss to one of its star pitchers Sunday morning.
According to various reports, Royals starting right hander Yordano Ventura was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic which was confirmed by that country’s national police colonel Jacobo Mateo Moquete. The colonel also shared photos of the crash scene via Twitter which we warn are graphic.
Major League Baseball and the Royals confirmed the original reports of Ventura’s death via MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan.
#Royals also now confirming Yordano Ventura's death.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) January 22, 2017
Known for his fastball that could reach triple-digits, Ventura was an instrumental piece in the Royals’ 2015 World Series run. His talent on the mound however became more national wide in 2014 when he allowed three-hits over seven shutout innings while forcing a decisive game seven in the World Series against the Giants.
Ventura however was also a very polarizing figure in baseball.
The 25-year old at times was very confrontational on the mound and often found himself mixing it up with the opposition. These run in’s with opposing teams could be highlighted by the altercation he had with Manny Machado last season. Still though in many ways it was guys like Ventura who made the game interesting and fun for the fans.
Ventura now becomes the second Major League pitcher to die over the past five months. The MLB was rocked by the death of Marlins ace Jose Fernandez in a September 25th boating accident. Additionally, former Major League pitcher Andy Marte also lost his life in a car accident in the Dominican Republic this weekend.