Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura killed in Dominican Republic vehicle crash at age 25

Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, who mesmerized fans with his precocious talent, scintillating fastball and fiery swagger, was killed in a traffic crash in his native Dominican Republic, the team confirmed Sunday morning. Ventura was 25.

The wreck occurred on Carretera Juan Adrian, a highway near Rancho Arriba, a town in the San Jose de Ocoa province of the Dominican Republic, according to Jacobo Mateo Moquete, a colonel in the Dominican National Police.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Royals were still collecting details on the crash that claimed Ventura’s life. Assistant general manager Rene Francisco, who oversees the club’s Latin American scouting department, was set to depart to the Dominican Republic to be with Ventura’s family. Royals general manager Dayton Moore, who was traveling to Atlanta for a previously scheduled speaking engagement, offered condolences to the Ventura family in a release from the team.

“Our prayers right now are with Yordano’s family as we mourn this young man’s passing,” Moore said. “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.”

As the news rippled from the Dominican to Kansas City, a collective state of mourning enveloped the baseball industry. Ventura was set to begin his fourth full major-league season when spring training began in February.

Since making his major-league debut in the final month of the 2013 season, Ventura posted a 38-31 record and 3.89 ERA in 547  2/3 career innings. He helped pitch the Royals to consecutive American League pennants in 2014 and 2015 and a World Series championship in 2015.

“It’s really indescribable, to be honest with you,” said Royals pitcher Danny Duffy, who spent Sunday afternoon with teammate Christian Colon in Kansas City. “We don’t want to believe it. He had an enormous heart. He loved his teammates. He just really enjoyed being at the ballpark. He’ll be greatly missed for sure.”

Duffy said a collection of Royals learned the news on a players’ group text-message chain. The news sent players into a state of shock and disbelief, Duffy said. Many teammates spent the morning tapping out personal tributes to Ventura on their social-media accounts.

“How can I even begin to explain how much I cared about you,” Colon wrote in a tribute on Twitter. “You were like a little brother to me.”

Ventura was first called up to the majors to start in place of an injured Duffy on Sept. 17, 2013. The day before, Duffy told The Star of Ventura: “He throws gas,” Duffy said. “He’s got a really good curveball, and a really good change-up. He’s a lot like me. If he wrangles his stuff, it’s going to be scary. I’m excited to watch him pitch.”

In that debut start, Ventura allowed five hits and one run in 5  2/3 innings, walking two and striking out three, taking a no-decision in a 5-3 Royals loss to Cleveland at Kauffman Stadium.

Ventura’s last start was Sept. 30 last season, also at Kauffman Stadium against the Indians. Before the game, he paid tribute to two friends who had passed away: Miami Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died that week in a boat crash, and Oscar Taveras, the Cardinals outfielder who died in a car crash before Game 6 of the 2014 World Series.

Ventura wore the initials of both men on his hat during the game, which the Royals lost 7-2. Ventura took the loss, giving up six hits and four runs in six innings, though he struck out eight.

The night of Game 6 in 2014, Ventura also wore the initials of Taveras on his hat and threw arguably the most memorable performance of his major-league career. Facing elimination, Ventura threw seven scoreless innings as the Royals beat the Giants 10-0 and forced a Game 7.

“Awesome,” manager Ned Yost told The Star after the game. “I mean, I really don’t know what more to say. I mean, you’ve got a 23-year-old kid pitching the biggest game that this stadium has seen in 29 years with our backs against the wall.

“And he goes out there in complete command of his emotions …

“I mean, we’ve talking all along about how special he is, but … you can’t be on a bigger stage than he was on tonight.”

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This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura killed in Dominican Republic vehicle crash at age 25."