Royals pitcher Ventura dies
Rising star killed in car accident
Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, whose electric arm and confident demeanor helped lead Kansas City to a longawaited World Series championship in 2015, died in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic early Sunday. He was 25.
Highway patrol spokesman Jacobo Mateo said Ventura died on a highway leading to the town of Juan Adrian, about 40 miles northwest of Santo Domingo.
Mateo did not say whether Ventura was driving.
“Our team and our organization is hurting deeply,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. With the fitting nickname of “Ace,” Ventura burst onto the baseball scene with a 100 mph fastball and an explosive attitude to match. He was a fierce competitor always willing to challenge hitters inside, then deal with the ramifications when they decided to charge the mound.
Not surprisingly, he quickly became a fan favorite in Kansas City.
The right-hander went 11-12 with a 4.45 ERA last season. He was suspended for nine games — cut to eight on appeal — after hitting Orioles star Manny Machado with a fastball, leading to a brawl.
Marte dies in crash: Former major leaguer Andy Marte died in another traffic accident early Sunday in the Dominican Republic.
Marte died when the Mercedes Benz he was driving hit a house along a road between San Francisco de Macoris and Pimentel, about 95 miles north of the capital.
Marte, a 33-year-old infielder, played from 2005-’10 with Atlanta and Cleveland and returned in 2014 with Arizona.