Kansas City Royals: Remembering Yordano Ventura
Yordano Ventura was an enigmatic player for the Kansas City Royals. But no one could ever question his fire and passion. That is how he should be remembered.
Kansas City Royals fans everywhere were shocked by the news that starting pitcher Yordano Ventura was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic yesterday. At just 25 years old, Ventura was taken away from his friends, teammates, and family far too soon. For the Royals, it leaves a gaping hole in the rotation, but it is not yet the time nor place to address that.
Ventura leaves a mixed legacy. For those outside of Kansas City, or those who are not Royals fans, he is remembered as the temperamental hothead, one who provoked fights with Adam Eaton, Brett Lawrie, and Manny Machado. His detractors pointed to him as immature, someone who did not have the mental capacity to harness his stuff and become one of the all time great Royals.
But Royals fans saw something else. They saw a pitcher who needed to have a chip on his shoulder. They saw someone who, when faced with adversity, was not afraid to fight back. He threw fire, and he pitched with that same fire he delivered from his right arm. That confidence, and refusal to back down, quickly made Ventura a fan favorite.
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Along the way, he dazzled Royals fans with his potential. He could seemingly throw 100 MPH at any point in time, rearing back and hitting triple digits into the seventh inning. And who can forget his masterful performance in Game Six of the 2014 World Series, where the Royals were clinging to life? Ventura dedicated his performance to his friend, Oscar Taveras, who died two days before, then went out and fired seven shutout innings to keep their hopes alive.
But more than his performance, Ventura will be remembered for his constant smile, how he loved life and lived it to the fullest. He did not take himself seriously, even posting a picture of himself in a one piece bunny suit while wearing pink Hello Kitty pajama pants. He wanted to give people the same joy in life that he felt on a day to day basis.
That is what has been lost here. More than anything else, more than the young starter with the electric fastball, the Royals, and baseball as a whole, have lost a player whose joy and love of the game were obvious. Was he a flawed person? Maybe. But it felt as though we also lost sight of how young he was, at just 25 years old. How many of us displayed maturity at all times at that age?
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The Kansas City Royals lost more than just a young pitcher yesterday. They also lost a friend and a trusted ally. is legacy with Kansas City will live on for years to come.